A virtual simulation-based educational application about complementary and alternative medicine: A pilot study of nurses' attitudes and communication competency

Background Conventional healthcare professionals have insufficient knowledge about complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) and often lack competencies to overcome attitudinal barriers to communicate effectively with patients about CAM. Interacting with a virtual simulation-based educational application program may help nurses learn current evidence and acquire communication skills when consulting with patients. Objectives The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate nurses' attitudes towards patients' CAM use and their competency in communicating with patients about CAM after interacting with a virtual simulation-based educational app. Design A quasi-experimental study with one-group, pretest-posttest design. Methods A total of 49 nurses volunteered to participate in the study. Participants interacted with a virtual simulation software app on a smartphone that included audiovisual presentations about CAM, 13 exercises, and a risk-benefit decision assessment. Data about nurses' attitudes and communication competency were collected at baseline and after completing the 13 exercises. Descriptive and comparative statistics were analyzed using the IBM® SPSS® version 22.0. Results Both the nurses' attitudes about patients' CAM use and communication competency improved significantly following the completion of the 13 exercises. The risk-benefit decision scores correlated significantly with the increase in nurses' attitudes and their communication competency. Conclusions Using a virtual simulation-based educational app may help nurses not only increase their attitudes towards CAM but also increase their communication competency in consulting with patients about CAM use.