NCT06938997

The Effectiveness of Combining AR/VR Technology in Virtual Clinical Auditory Hallucinations on the Comprehensive Auditory Hallucination Nursing Competency of Psychiatric Nurses

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 200 (estimated)
• Sponsor: National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to develop and evaluate a Virtual Reality (VR) Auditory Hallucination Program to enhance psychiatric nurses' comprehensive care competence in managing auditory hallucinations among patients with schizophrenia. Given that 60-80% of patients on the schizophrenia spectrum experience auditory hallucinations, and many continue to do so despite medication, improving nurses' professional skills in this area is critical. The research is conducted in two phases across four psychiatric institutions. Phase one involves the development and validation of the VR program and an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination), piloted with five participants and evaluated by psychiatric nursing experts. Phase two is a formal interventional study with 200 psychiatric nurses, using block randomization and three data collection time points. Assessment tools include five instruments measuring nurses' confidence, knowledge, attitude, empathy, immersion, and care performance related to auditory hallucinations. The study expects to strengthen nurses' ability to assess and manage auditory hallucinations effectively, and proposes the VR program as a potential tool for nursing in-service education.

Detailed description

Background: The lifetime prevalence of auditory hallucinations among patients on the schizophrenia spectrum is 60-80%. More than half of these patients continue to experience auditory hallucinations even with regular medication adherence. The professional competence of nurses in managing auditory hallucinations affects the stability of patients' symptoms and their recovery process, highlighting the importance of nurses' capabilities in caring for patients with auditory hallucinations. Purpose: To develop and test the effectiveness of a virtual reality auditory hallucination program on the comprehensive care competence of psychiatric nurses in managing auditory hallucinations. Methods: This is a two-phase study conducted in four psychiatric medical institutions. The study includes a development phase, a testing phase, and a formal research phase. In the pilot phase, five participants are expected to be recruited. The first phase involves the development and testing of the virtual reality auditory hallucination program and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which includes components such as auditory hallucination assessment, communication with individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations, and management of auditory hallucinations. Upon completion, content validation will be conducted by psychiatric experts. Five psychiatric nursing master's students will be invited as simulated candidates to examine the applicability of the "VR-based Auditory Hallucination Nursing OSCE" for psychiatric nurses. The second phase is the formal interventional study, which will recruit 200 psychiatric nurses through convenience sampling. Participants will be grouped by institution using block randomization software. Data will be collected at three time points using the HTC virtual human system in conjunction with Google online questionnaires. The research instruments include: * Self-rated Confidence Questionnaire on Auditory Hallucination Assessment and Management,② Auditory Hallucination Knowledge, Attitude, and Empathy Self-awareness Scale,③ Auditory Hallucination Immersion and Empathy Scale, ④ Comprehensive Auditory Hallucination Nursing OSCE Evaluation Form, and ⑤ Nurse Auditory Hallucination Literacy Scale. Expected Results: This study is expected to enhance psychiatric nurses' capabilities in assessing and managing auditory hallucinations. The program may be routinely used in in-service education for nursing staff and may serve as a reference to assist nurses in helping patients improve their insight into auditory hallucinations. Keywords: Auditory hallucination care competence, interventional study, virtual reality, schizophrenia, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

Conditions

• Nurses
• Schizophenia Disorder
• Hallucinations, Auditory

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Virtual clinical auditory hallucination solution combining AR/VR technology	This study, titled "Effectiveness of AR/VR-integrated OSCE on Psychiatric Nurses' Comprehensive Auditory Hallucination Care Ability: A Randomized Controlled Trial," involves both experimental and control groups watching videos. The control group views standard educational videos, while the experimental group uses AR/VR technology, virtual patient interaction platforms, and educational videos in a simulated clinical environment. Four scripts were developed: two for training and two for pre/post-testing. All scripts and OSCE checklists are researcher-developed, reviewed by experts, and pilot tested.
OTHER	Auditory Hallucination Care Video	The videos include professional knowledge and skills related to auditory hallucinations.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-05-01
• Primary completion: 2027-05-01
• Completion: 2027-05-01
• First posted: 2025-04-22
• Last updated: 2025-05-08

Locations

4 sites across 1 country: Taiwan