Holograms in nursing education: Results of an exploratory study

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study was to evaluate the student experience of using the Microsoft HoloLens® headsets and the HoloPatient application (app) to perform a nursing assessment of Jerry, a life-sized hologram of a young man admitted to Emergency Department following a mountain bike accident.

Methods: Setting: The research was conducted in 2019 in a New Zealand School of Nursing. Participants were undergraduate (pre-licensure) students (N = 121) enrolled in a 3-year Bachelor of Nursing degree programme. The study was conducted before students went on their first hospital-based clinical placement. Methods: The researchers designed a tutorial that guided students through the first five steps of the clinical reasoning cycle (i.e., look, collect, process, decide, plan) and collect cues and information about Jerry’s condition which worsens as he develops anaphylactic shock. Tutorials were conducted during the week immediately preceding the first clinical placement to assist students to develop clinical reasoning and nursing assessment skills.

Results: Data were collected via a post-activity pen and paper survey. Quantitative data showed that this technology enhanced learning. Thematic analysis identified 17 advantages of using holograms, including realism, a reduced level of self-consciousness, and better preparation for clinical practice. Disadvantages mostly related to technical projection issues such as blurry image quality.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that spending time carefully observing, and processing information provided via a hologram assisted novice nurses to develop clinical reasoning skills, thereby increasing readiness for the clinical setting.