Aim This study evaluated the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) simulation training in enhancing emergency room (ER) nurses’ preparedness for air‐to‐ground patient handoff and psychological safety, defined as participants’ perceived confidence and comfort within the training environment. Background Aeromedical transport is critical in regions with complex terrain or limited resources. The reception phase poses time‐sensitive and environmental challenges, and insufficient training increases the risk of handoff errors and patient harm. Existing programs focus mainly on in‐flight care, with little attention to reception. VR offers an immersive, standardized, and safe platform for reception training. Design A quasiexperimental design using a nonrandomized, sequential cohort allocation by training date with two‐group repeated measures was employed. Methods Seventy‐six emergency nurses from a northern Taiwan medical center were assigned by training date to a traditional drill group ( n = 33) or a VR simulation group ( n = 43). The “H.A.N.D.O.F.F.” curriculum, based on the 2024 CDC air‐to‐ground handoff protocol, was implemented. Outcomes included the Air‐to‐Ground Patient Handoff Preparedness Inventory and Psychological Safety Scale. Data were collected at baseline, postintervention, and 8 weeks and analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Results Baseline score refers to participants’ initial preparedness prior to the intervention, and no significant differences were found between groups at baseline ( p > 0.05). Postintervention, the VR group reported significantly higher preparedness and psychological safety than controls ( p < 0.001), and these improvements were sustained at the 8‐week follow‐up ( p < 0.001). Conclusions This study demonstrated that VR simulation significantly improves preparedness for air‐to‐ground patient handoff, highlighting its practical value. Future applications may extend to military, police, and fire departments to foster interprofessional collaboration and enhance emergency response capabilities.
Chou et al. (Thu,) studied this question.