Protocol: Immersive Patient-Perspective Simulation and Empathy in Prelicensure Nursing Students: A Systematic Scoping Review

Empathy is a core competency in nursing practice. It directly influences patient care and outcomes. Nursing education increasingly uses experiential learning strategies to support empathy development. Simulation-based education is one of the most widely studied approaches in this area. A subset of this work focuses on role-play and patient-perspective simulation. In these approaches, nursing students take on the lived experience of patients. Some simulations are designed to be immersive. Immersive learning experiences are multi-sensory, contextual, and emotionally grounded. They are intended to extend beyond traditional classroom or demonstration-based methods. Patient-perspective simulation specifically places students in structured scenarios that require them to adopt the physical, emotional, and psychosocial experience of a patient. The literature on immersive patient-perspective simulation is broad but inconsistent. Studies use different definitions, methods, and outcome measures. This makes it difficult to compare findings or identify best practices. It also limits the ability to draw conclusions about how these experiences influence empathy in prelicensure nursing students. This project is a systematic scoping review. It asks: What is the extent, range, and nature of the literature on immersive patient-perspective simulation to enhance empathy in prelicensure nursing students? “Extent” refers to how many studies exist and the populations included. “Range” refers to the types of simulations, study designs, settings, and outcomes. “Nature” refers to how studies are conducted, including measures of empathy and theoretical frameworks. The purpose of this review is to map the current evidence. It also aims to identify gaps in the literature. The findings will inform future research and support curriculum development in nursing education.