Effectiveness of Virtual Simulation Games with Standardised Patients on Nursing Students in Psychological Care: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract Background Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing students’ practical experiences were limited. Virtual simulation-based education methods have emerged to address this issue. Effective disaster preparedness education requires sufficient training for various disaster types. This study assessed a virtual simulation-based programme to enhance cognitive and behavioral competencies in psychological nursing activities for patients affected by infectious disease disasters. This randomised Controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a virtual simulation using a standardised patient education programme for nursing students on problem-solving process, self-leadership, learning self-efficacy, and motivation to transfer. Methods This study employed a randomised Controlled trial design. A total of 60 undergraduate nursing students without previous psychological first aid education were randomly assigned to an experimental or Control group at a single university, taking the same psychiatric mental health nursing practicum course and participating in online conferencing via Zoom. The experimental group used the developed programme. Educational outcomes were measured using self-report questionnaires on problem-solving, self-leadership, learning self-efficacy, and motivation to transfer. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test and analysis of covariance with SPSS Windows software version 23.0. Results Data from 54 participants (experimental: n = 26, Controlled: n = 28) were analyzed. Significant improvements were observed in the experimental group’s problem-solving, self-leadership, and learning self-efficacy. The motivation to transfer increased compared with the Control group, but this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Using standardised patients in virtual simulations can effectively enhance nursing students’ learning self-efficacy and motivation to transfer, encouraging proactive problem-solving. Further development and research are needed for broader application. The programme is expected to improve nursing competency and problem-solving skills by increasing nursing students’ willingness to engage in self-directed learning without time and space constraints. It can also guide future nursing curriculum development. Trial registration: This Korean clinical trial was retrospectively registered (29/08/2024) in the Clinical Research Information Service (https://cris.nih.go.kr) with trial registration number KCT0009735.