The digital literacy, awareness, and educational needs of virtual reality among nursing students

Purpose: This study’s aim was to investigate digital literacy, awareness of virtual reality, and educational needs of virtual reality-based nursing education among nursing students. Methods: Structured self-reported questionnaires were used to measure the nursing students’ digital literacy, awareness, and educational needs of virtual reality. This study was conducted on 162 nursing students in Seoul between December 13 and December 24, 2021. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 24.0. Results: The mean scores on digital literacy, awareness, and educational needs of virtual reality were 4.38±0.42, 4.71±0.64, and 4.08±0.61, respectively. Concerning the educational needs of the subjects, the need for safety education was the highest, followed by the need for oxygenation education, elimination education, and activity and exercise education. Significant relationships were found between digital literacy and the awareness of virtual reality (r=.34, p<.001), between digital literacy and the educational needs of virtual reality (r=.17, p=.028), and between awareness and the educational needs of virtual reality (r=.51, p<.001). Conclusion: This study suggests that it is necessary to develop a virtual reality-based nursing educational program that reflects the educational needs of nursing students.