Development and evaluation of virtual simulation for smoking cessation counseling education program for nursing students.

Background: Smoking is still a one of the critical preventable factors for human health, Nurses are healthcare providers who can help patients quit smoking. The subject for Smoking cessation counseling is not routinely included in nursing curricula.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to develop a virtual simulation for smoking cessation counseling education for nursing students and to increase the motivation and competence of research participants in smoking cessation counseling intervention. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group, nonconcurrent pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual simulation-based smoking cessation counseling education program. The VSCCEP(Virtual simulation-based Smoking Cessation Counseling Education Program) was developed based on the ADDIE model, utilizing the content required for tobacco cessation counseling education. The subjects of this study were third-year nursing students from two universities located in S city included 39 participants in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. The research data were collected from September 30, 2024 to November 5, 2024. We were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the t-test, paired t-tests.

Results: Total research participants was 76 divided 2 groups. Autonomous motivation for smoking cessation counseling increased statistically significantly in the experimental group before and after VSCCEP (t=-3.33, p = .002), and there was also a statistically significant difference when compared to the control group (t=-2.05, p = .044). There was a statistically significant increase in control motivation for cessation counseling among experimental group subjects before and after VSCCEP (t=-3.67, p = .001) and no statistically significant difference when compared to the control group (t=-1.44, p = .153). Perceived competence in cessation counseling was statistically significantly increased in the experimental group (t=-4.51, p < 001), with a statistically significant increase in the control group (t=-2.58, p = .014), but not statistically significant when compared to the control group (t=-0.99, p = .324).

Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the efficacy of the developed VSCCEP in enhancing nursing students' motivation and perceived competence in tobacco cessation counseling. These findings suggest that integrating virtual simulation programs into nursing education can strengthen practical counseling skills and support the development of autonomous, practice-ready nurses for tobacco cessation interventions.