Role of a Dementia Virtual Reality App in Developing Situated Empathy, Attitude and Person-Centred Care—A Qualitative Approach

Background

The demands of any health education programme including nurse education would benefit from innovative ways to support students learning in an effective and efficient manner. Such approaches resonate particularly when caring for older people living with dementia, due to multifactorial manifestations of the condition, patients' difficulty in articulating their needs and the potential for negative care outcomes. Empathy is an important part of understanding dementia and is also recognised as a complex and multidimensional concept.

Objective

This study investigated the impact of undergraduate nursing students' 15-min use of the Experience Dementia in Singapore (EDIS) virtual reality app in their tutorial lesson for developing their empathy, changing their attitude and increasing their sensitivity for person-centred care of people with dementia.

Method

We carried out content and thematic analysis of data anonymously collected via the in-class learning activities at the start and at the end of the lesson.

Results

All participating students (n = 89, 89% response rate) achieved their learning goal to experience a first-person perspective and gain insights into needs and care for persons living with dementia. The results showed students transitioned from having mainly knowledge foremost in their mind, to more empathetic and care related thoughts when delivering care to persons living with dementia. The experience made more students aware of how they could communicate care, make environmental modifications to support and develop an attitude of person-centred care for persons living with dementia and their families. The analysis resulted in four themes: (1) immersive learning—walking in the shoes of the person living with dementia (2) feelings evoked from the first-person perspective (3) little things, big impact; little things, positive impact; and (4) communicating care.

Conclusion

The EDIS virtual reality app was an efficient and effective way for students to develop essential elements, especially empathy, as well as positive attitudes and sensitivity towards person-centred care for those living with dementia.

Implications for Practice

The first-hand experience the VR app offers allows students to challenge pre-conceived perceptions about older people and those living with dementia. As such, it is a versatile tool that can be incorporated into a variety of study and training programmes for students, professionals and caregivers who provide care or care solutions for persons living with dementia and their families.