Why digital technologies matter in nursing education? Undergraduate nursing education involves the development of theoretical knowledge, psychomotor clinical skills, and clinical reasoning, all of which are essential for patient safety and quality care. However, opportunities for hands-on training in real clinical settings are often limited, while the complexity of healthcare continues to increase. To address these challenges, educational technologies based on human–computer interaction (HCI), such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive simulations, have been increasingly integrated into nursing curricula. These technologies aim to provide safe, repeatable, and learner-centered environments that support skill development without exposing patients to risk (Petty, 2013; Skiba et al., 2008). 

What does existing evidence say about their effectiveness? Recent empirical studies suggest that HCI-based educational interventions can positively influence learning outcomes in nursing education, particularly when compared with traditional teaching methods. Several randomized and quasi-experimental studies have reported improvements in students’ clinical performance, knowledge scores, or both following exposure to VR- or AR-based learning environments (Chang et al., 2021; Kurt & Öztürk, 2021; Zhu et al., 2025). However, the magnitude of these effects varies across studies, and improvements are not always significantly greater than those achieved through conventional instruction (Jeong et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2025). This variability highlights the need to examine not only whether technologies are used, but how they are designed and implemented. 

Evidence from published studies indicates that educational technologies do not affect all learning domains in the same way. Clinical and psychomotor skills appear to benefit most consistently from immersive and interactive technologies, with multiple studies reporting higher procedural performance following VR- or AR-based training (Menon et al., 2022; Park & Yoon, 2023; Yoon, 2025). In contrast, findings related to theoretical knowledge acquisition are more mixed, with some studies reporting significant gains and others observing no meaningful differences between technology-based and traditional teaching methods (Rodríguez-Abad et al., 2022; Sezgunsay & Basak, 2025). Evidence for higher-order outcomes such as clinical reasoning and decision-making remains limited and heterogeneous, suggesting that these competencies may require more than technological immersion alone (Kim et al., 2024; Lee et al., 2023). 

Taken together, the existing literature suggests that the educational value of digital technologies in nursing education depends largely on their alignment with learning objectives and pedagogical design. Highly immersive environments may be particularly effective for procedural skill training that requires realism, repetition, and immediate feedback, whereas mobile applications and AR-based tools may provide flexible and accessible support for knowledge learning (Asaumi et al., 2025; Kurt & Öztürk, 2021). Importantly, these technologies should be viewed as complementary tools rather than replacements for traditional teaching. Thoughtful instructional design, appropriate exposure duration, and integration within broader curricula remain critical to ensuring meaningful learning outcomes beyond engagement alone. 

Hafsa LIMY

University of Lleida

I am a Master’s student in Health Research at the University of Lleida with a clinical background in anesthesia and intensive care nursing. My research interests lie in advancing nursing education through digital innovation, particularly in the fields of human–computer interaction, virtual simulation, and gamification. I am currently involved in international multidisciplinary research projects, contributing to evidence synthesis on technology-enhanced learning in nursing. My goal is to pursue an academic research career and contribute to the development of effective, technology-driven educational strategies in healthcare.

hl18@alumnes.udl.cat ( hafsalimy4@gmail.com)

References

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16. Picture illustrated by GEMINI AI