Healthcare Provider Stress and Virtual Reality Simulation: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Despite the significant role that stress plays in clinical care and education and the potential benefit of virtual reality (VR) as a simulation modality, there is a dearth of literature on stress and VR. The results of this scoping review have shown the positive effect that VR simulation can have on mitigating the negative aspects of stress during simulation and clinical training as well as improving provider performance and affect. Virtual reality technology, and immersive VR specifically, has the potential to powerfully transform how simulation education is being conducted. Because of this, the authors encourage researchers to put more focus into this topic and in determining how VR can be used to provide simulations with excellent training and a strong sense of presence for the purpose of addressing how stress can impact learners' clinical training and performance.