A Framework For Development Of A Virtual Reality Environment For Building Empathy In Indian Nursing Professionals

Empathy or the ability to interpret and communicate another individual’s emotions and condition could be considered the cornerstone of the healthcare professionals’ relationship with patients. It is important for healthcare professionals to practice empathy while connecting with patients to ensure their well-being and motivation. Nurses especially need to interact with patients and their families more frequently, and therefore need to constantly demonstrate empathetic behavior and compassion. While the Indian Nursing curriculum includes training in communication skills, there is a need to practice these behaviors in real contexts and be able toobserve measurable improvements. There are also several factors such as upbringing, the education system, shortage of manpower and resources, and a skewed nurse to patient ratio which lead to higher stress factors and lack of empathy in Indian Nurses. There is a need for training and mentorship for nurses and an environment that helps them practice empathetic behavior, without impacting their daily work or the wellbeing of patients. If this training is available online or technology enabled, it can also free up time for senior nurses who may otherwise be providing mentorship to younger nurses. Virtual Reality (VR) provides the opportunity of creating an environment where nurses can experience a real hospital setting, with realistic scenarios and interactions with patients built in to practice empathetic behavior. This study, based on a review of existing literature and conversations with nurses, explores the role of a nurse and identifies areas where empathetic behavior can be practiced. It also researches existing segments where VR has been successfully implemented in the healthcare context. It arrives at a framework for creating VR-based training for Indian Nurses on empathy. This framework can also be extended to building other VR-based soft skill training for healthcare professionals. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.