Nursing StudentsNCT07117604
Virtual Reality in Nursing Students' Communication Skills
A study testing Virtual Reality in people with Nursing Students and Virtual Reality, run by Dokuz Eylul University.
Trial summary
The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of a virtual reality application on nursing students' skills in breaking bad news and approaching crying patients at a nursing faculty in western Turkey. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Nursing Students, Virtual Reality, Breaking Bad News Skills
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Reality
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Aug 2025to Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- being ≥18 years old
- being a nursing student,
- taking a communication course for the first time
- volunteering to participate in the study
Who cannot join
- having a condition preventing the student from using the VR tool
- having problems such as nausea and vomiting due to the use of VR headsets
- having been participated in any training given on breaking bad news
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Effects of Virtual Reality Application on Nursing Students' Skills in Breaking Bad News and Approaching Crying Patients
The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of a virtual reality application on nursing students' skills in breaking bad news and approaching crying patients at a nursing faculty in western Turkey.
The primary questions to be addressed are:
Read more
Is there a significant difference in breaking bad news skills between students receiving the virtual reality intervention and those receiving the standard curriculum? Is there a significant difference in skills related to approaching crying patients between students receiving the virtual reality intervention and those receiving the standard curriculum? Comparison group: The researchers will compare the intervention group, which receives the virtual reality application, with the control group, which follows the standard curriculum, to assess differences in skill development.
Participants:
Nursing students aged 18 years or older, who are taking a communication course for the first time and voluntarily participating.
Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups.
Participants in the intervention group will:
Attend an orientation session for the virtual reality application, Engage in a virtual reality scenario based on the SPIKES protocol involving breaking bad news and approaching a crying patient, Participate in a debriefing session to discuss their experiences. Participants in the control group will receive the standard curriculum course.
Read the detailed description
Additional Details Study Design: This randomized controlled trial employed a pre-test and post-test model. Data for the intervention group were collected at baseline (T1) and immediately after the virtual reality intervention (T2). Similar data collection timings were applied to the control group.
Sample and Inclusion Criteria:
Study population consisted of 260 third-year nursing students enrolled in a communication course during the Fall Semester of the 2024-2025 academic year at a nursing faculty in western Turkey.
Inclusion criteria: nursing students aged 18 years or older, taking the communication course for the first time, and volunteering to participate.
Exclusion criteria: any health condition preventing the use of VR devices, experience of nausea or vomiting due to VR headset use, and prior participation in training on breaking bad news.
Sample size was calculated as 60 students (30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group) based on power analysis using G-Power software and previous study parameters.
Assessment Instruments:
Student Descriptive Information Questionnaire Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News (33 items, Likert-type scale, Cronbach's alpha = 0.86, content validity index = 0.82) Questionnaire on Knowledge of Approaching a Crying Patient (19 items, Likert-type scale, Cronbach's alpha = 0.71, content validity index = 0.81)
Intervention Protocol:
The intervention consisted of three sessions: orientation, virtual reality viewing (15 minutes), and debriefing (40 minutes).
The scenario involved delivering a lung cancer diagnosis to a young female patient and approaching a crying patient.
The scenario was structured according to the SPIKES protocol. Virtual reality content was produced using 360° high-resolution videos and audio recordings filmed in real settings.
The development team included oncology and psychiatric nursing specialists as well as researchers experienced in animation and virtual reality.
Control Group: The control group received the standard curriculum course. After the study, control participants were offered the opportunity to voluntarily participate in the virtual reality application.
- Conditions
- Nursing Students, Virtual Reality, Breaking Bad News Skills
- Being tested
- Virtual Reality, Control group
- Keywords
- Virtual reality, cancer, breaking bad news, nursing, communication
- Medical subject headings
- Neoplasms, Communication
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual RealityOther
Also called Virtual Glasses
Standard virtual reality applications rely on computer-generated animation environments and avatars; however, in the present study, the content created by actors/actresses with theater training by using cameras and audio recording devices suitable for creating virtual reality content included images of real environments and people.
Control groupOther
Also called Active Comparator
While the participants in the intervention group received training on virtual reality, those in the control group took the standard curriculum course. Students in the control group received no training. The students in the control group were told that the program would be implemented to those who volunteered after the study was completed.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| The students in the intervention group received training on virtual reality. | Experimental | In the intervention group, interventions were performed in the following three sessions: orientation, VR viewing, and discussion. During the orientation session, the participants in the intervention group were made familiar with the virtual reality application, and given information on roles and a general overview. A sample visual was displayed for adaptation, and the participants were asked if they had any problems. Then they explored the avatars of a patient, a physician and a nurse in the virtual reality environment and familiarized themselves with the environment (approximately 10 minutes). Although the participants only observed the virtual environment, they felt that they were part of the virtual environment. The researchers provided technical support to the participants throughout the application. Each participant participated in the virtual reality application once. In the debriefing session, the participants' observations of the virtual reality environment were discussed. Receives: Other: Virtual Reality |
| Students in the control group received no training. | Active comparator | Students in the control group received no training. The students in the control group were told that the program would be implemented to those who volunteered after the study was completed. Receives: Other: Control group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News
The level of knowledge and skills in breaking bad news and approaching a crying patient will be assessed using validated questionnaire: the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News
Measured: Pre- and post-intervention assessments conducted within 15 days.
Change in the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Approaching a Crying Patient
The level of knowledge and skills in breaking bad news and approaching a crying patient will be assessed using validated questionnaire: the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Approaching a Crying Patient.
Measured: Pre- and post-intervention assessments conducted within 15 days.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Aug 2025
- Study startAug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completionAug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completionAug 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Nursing StudentsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The students who agreed to participate in the study were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The first student who agreed to participate in the study was assigned to the intervention group, and the second to the control group. The students in the intervention group received training on virtual reality. Students in the control group received no training. The students in the control group were told that the program would be implemented to those who volunteered after the study was completed.All the participants in the intervention group participated in the virtual reality session individually and then in the debriefing session related to the scenario. While the participants in the intervention group received training on virtual reality, those in the control group took the standard curriculum course.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Dokuz Eylul University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Dokuz Eylül University, Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Yağmur Yaşa, Dokuz Eylul University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07117604
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 22 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 12 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Virtual Reality Application on Nursing Students' Skills in Breaking Bad News and Approaching Crying Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07117604
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi
- Conditions
- Nursing Students, Virtual Reality, Breaking Bad News Skills
- Keywords
- Virtual reality, cancer, breaking bad news, nursing, communication
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Dokuz Eylul UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Dokuz Eylül University, Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit
- Study start
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of a virtual reality application on nursing students' skills in breaking bad news and approaching crying patients at a nursing faculty in western Turkey.
The primary questions to be addressed are:
Is there a significant difference in breaking bad news skills between students receiving the virtual reality intervention and those receiving the standard curriculum? Is there a significant difference in skills related to approaching crying patients between students receiving the virtual reality intervention and those receiving the standard curriculum? Comparison group: The researchers will compare the intervention group, which receives the virtual reality application, with the control group, which follows the standard curriculum, to assess differences in skill development.
Participants:
Nursing students aged 18 years or older, who are taking a communication course for the first time and voluntarily participating.
Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups.
Participants in the intervention group will:
Attend an orientation session for the virtual reality application, Engage in a virtual reality scenario based on the SPIKES protocol involving breaking bad news and approaching a crying patient, Participate in a debriefing session to discuss their experiences. Participants in the control group will receive the standard curriculum course.
Detailed description
Additional Details Study Design: This randomized controlled trial employed a pre-test and post-test model. Data for the intervention group were collected at baseline (T1) and immediately after the virtual reality intervention (T2). Similar data collection timings were applied to the control group.
Sample and Inclusion Criteria:
Study population consisted of 260 third-year nursing students enrolled in a communication course during the Fall Semester of the 2024-2025 academic year at a nursing faculty in western Turkey.
Inclusion criteria: nursing students aged 18 years or older, taking the communication course for the first time, and volunteering to participate.
Exclusion criteria: any health condition preventing the use of VR devices, experience of nausea or vomiting due to VR headset use, and prior participation in training on breaking bad news.
Sample size was calculated as 60 students (30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group) based on power analysis using G-Power software and previous study parameters.
Assessment Instruments:
Student Descriptive Information Questionnaire Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News (33 items, Likert-type scale, Cronbach's alpha = 0.86, content validity index = 0.82) Questionnaire on Knowledge of Approaching a Crying Patient (19 items, Likert-type scale, Cronbach's alpha = 0.71, content validity index = 0.81)
Intervention Protocol:
The intervention consisted of three sessions: orientation, virtual reality viewing (15 minutes), and debriefing (40 minutes).
The scenario involved delivering a lung cancer diagnosis to a young female patient and approaching a crying patient.
The scenario was structured according to the SPIKES protocol. Virtual reality content was produced using 360° high-resolution videos and audio recordings filmed in real settings.
The development team included oncology and psychiatric nursing specialists as well as researchers experienced in animation and virtual reality.
Control Group: The control group received the standard curriculum course. After the study, control participants were offered the opportunity to voluntarily participate in the virtual reality application.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The students who agreed to participate in the study were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The first student who agreed to participate in the study was assigned to the intervention group, and the second to the control group. The students in the intervention group received training on virtual reality. Students in the control group received no training. The students in the control group were told that the program would be implemented to those who volunteered after the study was completed.All the participants in the intervention group participated in the virtual reality session individually and then in the debriefing session related to the scenario. While the participants in the intervention group received training on virtual reality, those in the control group took the standard curriculum course.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| The students in the intervention group received training on virtual reality. | Experimental | Other: Virtual RealityIn the intervention group, interventions were performed in the following three sessions: orientation, VR viewing, and discussion. During the orientation session, the participants in the intervention group were made familiar with the virtual reality application, and given information on roles and a general overview. A sample visual was displayed for adaptation, and the participants were asked if they had any problems. Then they explored the avatars of a patient, a physician and a nurse in the virtual reality environment and familiarized themselves with the environment (approximately 10 minutes). Although the participants only observed the virtual environment, they felt that they were part of the virtual environment. The researchers provided technical support to the participants throughout the application. Each participant participated in the virtual reality application once. In the debriefing session, the participants' observations of the virtual reality environment were discussed. |
| Students in the control group received no training. | Active comparator | Other: Control groupStudents in the control group received no training. The students in the control group were told that the program would be implemented to those who volunteered after the study was completed. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- being ≥18 years old
- being a nursing student,
- taking a communication course for the first time
- volunteering to participate in the study
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- having a condition preventing the student from using the VR tool
- having problems such as nausea and vomiting due to the use of VR headsets
- having been participated in any training given on breaking bad news
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual RealityAlso: Virtual GlassesStandard virtual reality applications rely on computer-generated animation environments and avatars; however, in the present study, the content created by actors/actresses with theater training by using cameras and audio recording devices suitable for creating virtual reality content included images of real environments and people. | Other | The students in the intervention group received training on virtual reality. |
| Control groupAlso: Active ComparatorWhile the participants in the intervention group received training on virtual reality, those in the control group took the standard curriculum course. Students in the control group received no training. The students in the control group were told that the program would be implemented to those who volunteered after the study was completed. | Other | Students in the control group received no training. |
Primary outcome
Change in the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News
Time frame: Pre- and post-intervention assessments conducted within 15 days.
The level of knowledge and skills in breaking bad news and approaching a crying patient will be assessed using validated questionnaire: the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News
Change in the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Approaching a Crying Patient
Time frame: Pre- and post-intervention assessments conducted within 15 days.
The level of knowledge and skills in breaking bad news and approaching a crying patient will be assessed using validated questionnaire: the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Approaching a Crying Patient.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 Aug 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Reality in people with Nursing Students and Virtual Reality, run by Dokuz Eylul University.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Yağmur Yaşa, Research Assistant (+905354087966, yagmuryasa5@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in the Questionnaire on Knowledge of Breaking Bad News (time frame: Pre- and post-intervention assessments conducted within 15 days.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Aug 2025.