The impact of a Virtual Reality Training Programme on Health Professionals’ Knowledge, Understanding and Empathy. International Meeting on Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice Conference (Book of Abstracts)

Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and
dependency among older people worldwide. Virtual
Reality programmes offer a new and innovative sensory
distortion programme designed to provide participants
with a greater understanding of people living with
dementia. To date, limited research has been undertaken
on the impact of such programmes.
A mixed method transformative design was used to achieve
the study aims. Qualitative techniques, focus groups and
semi-structured interviews, were used to inform the
instrument development prior to administration and again
to examine how the VDT training impacted on practice. A
quantitative repeated measures research design was used
to measure changes in the knowledge, understanding and
empathy levels a purposive sample (n=133) of health care
professionals taking part in a Virtual reality training
programme. A psychometrically acceptable tool was used
to gauge of the intervention. The intervention allowed
participants to experience symptomology of stage 4
(Moderate) dementia. Full ethical consent was sought and
gained.
The use of qualitative findings ensured the validity of the
instrument to the VDT training programme. The findings
demonstrated a positive and statistically significant impact
on participant’s knowledge, understand in empathy.
Participants also reported that they felt they had
overestimated their knowledge regarding dementia prior
to training and that the training allowed them to ‘walk in
the shoes’ of the person with dementia. Statistically
significant changes were noted across Nurses, Allied health
professionals, health care assistants and medical staff.
Almost all (95%) participants recommend the programme
as an effective training tool. Participants reported that the
VDT training had a significant impact on practice and
helped to bring their theoretical understanding of dementia
‘to life’.
The virtual reality experience is an effective, well received
training programme providing a unique opportunity to
experience dementia. All training must be embedded in an
overarching programme of facilitation and practice
development in order to maximize potential for translating
its impact into practice.