Cultural awareness immersion and introduction to social determinants of health: The 360-degree difference

Background and objectives: To address the need for innovative educational activities which focus on the Asian American population, and focuses on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and culturally competent care, an immersive, interactive 360-degree video simulation-based educational activity (SBE) was implemented by nursing faculty at a Midwest university. The specific aims of the project were to a) assess changes in participants knowledge and skills as related to SDOH, cultural awareness, and health literacy with the Asian American population; b) participant confidence, and c) assess the usefulness, and ease of use, of 360-degree video simulation.Methods: A single group pretest-posttest design was used in this SBE activity with a convenience sample of 83 undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students at one university.Results: The SBE activity improved overall knowledge and confidence. Furthermore, the majority of participants perceived the SBE activity as useful and that the 360-degree video technology was easy to use.Conclusions: The results contribute to limited literature exploring outcomes of 360-degree video simulation with a focus on the Asian American population and SDOH, cultural competence, and health literacy. Implementing such SBE activities into nursing curriculums is critical to address health disparities and increase knowledge and skill in clinical practice for undergraduate nursing students when serving vulnerable and underrepresented populations.