Fostering Nursing Students' Defibrillator Training Using Immersive Technology

Immersive technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), combine the real world with a digital or simulated reality which provides distinctive experiences. In the healthcare discipline, immersive technology could enhance reality by layering information or virtual aspects over actual reality. This research aimed to address some of the challenges currently faced at the School of Nursing at a South African university in training nursing students, which could be alleviated by developing an immersive mobile nursing education system. Therefore, the research developed a mobile application coined LazARus using Unity, 3Ds Max, Visual Studio, and 3D models based on agile scrum and participatory design methods and aimed to teach nursing students guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated and manual defibrillators, and unresponsive patient signs. The application was tested by Nurse educators who confirmed that it has great potential for improving nursing students' skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, since it is cost-effective and self-regulated, delivering immersive content in various learning styles.