Abstract:

Objectives:
To identify the use of virtual simulators as tools in nursing teaching.

Materials and Methods:
This integrative review aimed to answer the guiding question: what are the existing evidences in the literature about the use of virtual reality simulators for nursing teaching? Databases LILACS and MEDLINE were used to select articles from the past 10 years, in Portuguese and English, using controlled and uncontrolled descriptors.

Results:
In total, 32 article abstracts were found and analyzed. Of these, only 10 answered the guiding question, five of which from the LILACS database and five from MEDLINE, five in Portuguese and five in English. Two of the journals are from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-Brazil and the others from different institutions, published between 2003 and 2011, five were published in American journals and five in Brazilian ones. Regarding the level of evidence, one is level II, three are level III, five are level IV and one is level V. The use of virtual simulators for nursing teaching in the following areas was found: peripheral venous punctures, pain assessment, measurement of vital signs and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Conclusions:
It is concluded that the literature that deals with the use of virtual simulators in nursing teaching is still scarce. However, analyzed articles indicate that the use of these simulators has great effect on student learning, ensuring safety in clinical practice.

Keywords:

Simulation and nursing, nursing and virtual reality, education and nursing.