NR 351 Week 6 Assignment; APA Scholarly Writing Paper - Role of VR in Stress Reduction Among Nurses

APA Scholarly Writing Paper Jessica Smith Chamberlain University College of Nursing NR351: Foundational Concepts for the Practicing RN Holly Hendrikson Date SubmittedProfessional Paper Nursing can be considered a demanding profession that often causes healthcare workers to experience high levels of stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. Often times nursing requires individuals to provide continuous care while managing multiple responsibilities in high stress environments. This can lead to high emotional, mental, and physical stress levels. Research has recently explored different approaches to help with stress management in healthcare, using virtual reality (VR) as a way to decrease stress among nurses. The article Revolutionizing Nurse Well-being: Virtual Reality as a Stress Relief Intervention discusses the use of VR technology as a stress relief intervention and its highlights the effectiveness of improving the effects of stress in the nurses involved in the pilot (Clough et al., 2024). This paper will look at the role of VR in stress reduction among nurses. Assigned Article Summary In the assigned article Clough et al., (2024) explains the stress that nurses may experience when accustomed to limited resources and high workloads. High stress levels can lead to the nurses having increased burnout levels, and feeling unhappy in the current role which could lead to a decrease in quality of patient care. Stress can be a contributor to medical errors or a high turnover rate within the facility (Clough et al., 2024). “Experiencing various modalities and strategies is needed to address the stressors that burden nurses” (Clough et al., 2024, p. 53). A hospital decided to conduct an 8- week pilot using virtual reality (VR) as a stress reliever. Nurses tried it out on breaks through his/her shift. Different settings could be chosen to use which included a beach or forest scene. Assessments were performed before and after using the VR, a decrease in anxiety was noted. The nurses also reported feelings of relaxation. According to Clough et al., (2024 p. 56) the “project outcomes revealed a dynamic shift in the nurses’ words to describe their emotional and physical feelings pre-and postintervention.” This conclusion of the study found that the VR provided an effective stress relief during the break, and nurses were interested in wanting VR interventions on a regular basis. Impact of Technology on Nursing Practice In the systematic review by Meshkat et al., (2024) it highlights the potential of using technology inte