Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the use of virtual simulations to improve knowledge, performance, self-efficacy, satisfaction and confidence of nursing students. Method: This study used a quasi-experimental design with 34 nursing students in one university. All the participants were forth grade students and received education on topics related to medical-surgical nursing. The experimental group participated in virtual and high-fidelity simulations. The control group participated in high-fidelity simulation. Collected data were analyzed using Chi-square, t-test and independent t-test using the WIN SPSS 23.0 program. Results: The experimental group who had participated in the virtual simulation education indicated significantly higher performance scores (t=-6.166, p=<.000) and confidence levels (t=-2.284, p=.031) as compared to the control group who had participated in traditional high-fidelity education for acute heart disease patients, However, the differences in knowledge (t=-.808, p=.425), education satisfaction (t=-.425, p=.653), and self-efficacy (t=-1.592, p=.121) were not significant differences. Conclusion: The results indicate that virtual simulation education is an effective learning method to improve nursing performance and confidence. Further study is needed to identify the effects of various clinical situations of virtual simulation-based care.

Schizophrenia is one of the most chronic and severe mental disorders. It has hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, a lack of emotion and a lack of motivation. Schizophrenia also causes significant social and work problems. In order to prevent worsening and recurrences of schizophrenia, and to induce continuous improvement of disease, symptom management and medication training are critical factors. A serious game which makes strong interest and immersion senses is a very useful learning tool for schizophrenia patients who show attention deficit, impassiveness, lack of spontaneity and lower motivation. This study uses card match games to improve the patient’s memory and concentration, and encourage procedural learning by associating the difficulty level of the game with the symptom rating scale of disorder. Also it promotes patients to express their feelings through game characters to alleviate their suffering from emotional dullness. It also helps patients to develop teamwork and build interactive skills by demanding cooperative missions for beating the game. Therefore this study is expected to contribute in improving the efficiency of schizophrenic patient education. We suggest to develop serious game design for schizophrenia patients' education.