Toward Immersive Diabetes Education: Understanding User Needs for Virtual Reality-Assisted Self-Management Support in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
4 affiliations
- 1Community Nursing Department Faculty of Nursing Hasanuddin University Jl Perintis Kemerdekaan Km 10, Tamalanrea Makassar 90245 Indonesia unhas.ac.id.
- 2Medical and Surgical Nursing Department Faculty of Nursing Hasanuddin University Jl Perintis Kemerdekaan Km 10, Tamalanrea Makassar 90245 Indonesia unhas.ac.id.
- 3Department of Physiotherapy David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences Uburu Ebonyi Nigeria.
- 4Faculty of Nursing Hasanuddin University Jl Perintis Kemerdekaan Km 10, Tamalanrea Makassar 90245 Indonesia unhas.ac.id.
Abstract
Effective self-management in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) requires sustained adherence to diet, physical activity, medication, and lifestyle modification. However, conventional diabetes education often remains generic, one-directional, and insufficiently responsive to the psychological, behavioral, and contextual challenges patients face in daily life. Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) may offer a more engaging approach to diabetes education, yet evidence on the user needs that should inform such interventions remains limited. This study explored the psychological, behavioral, and educational needs of adults with T2DM and healthcare providers to inform the development of VR-assisted self-management support. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted involving adults with T2DM (n = 12) and healthcare providers (n = 6), purposively recruited based on their experience in diabetes self-management or care; prior technology experience was not required. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Seven interrelated themes were identified: (1) psychological experiences of living with and managing diabetes, (2) motivation and adherence, (3) adaptation of physical activity, (4) dietary management challenges, (5) limitations of current diabetes education, (6) educational needs supporting self-management, and (7) VR as an alternative educational medium. Participants described emotional distress, uncertainty, adherence fatigue, and difficulty translating advice into daily behaviors. Existing education was often perceived as overly general, medically framed, and insufficiently tailored to real-life needs. Both patients and healthcare providers preferred education that is simple, interactive, practical, and grounded in everyday experiences. VR was viewed as a potentially valuable medium for simulating realistic self-management scenarios, although concerns regarding usability and complexity were also raised. These findings provide a user-centered qualitative foundation for developing immersive VR-assisted diabetes self-management support, intended to complement conventional education; its feasibility, sustainability, and effectiveness remain to be evaluated.
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BibTeX
@article{jafar2026toward,
title = {{Toward Immersive Diabetes Education: Understanding User Needs for Virtual Reality-Assisted Self-Management Support in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.}},
author = {Nuurhidayat Jafar and Andina Setyawati and Sam Chidi Ibeneme and Akbar Akbar and Husnul Hatima Ahmad and Suriani Suriani},
journal = {Nursing research and practice},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1155/nrp/4385505},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997340},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Toward Immersive Diabetes Education: Understanding User Needs for Virtual Reality-Assisted Self-Management Support in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AU - Nuurhidayat Jafar
AU - Andina Setyawati
AU - Sam Chidi Ibeneme
AU - Akbar Akbar
AU - Husnul Hatima Ahmad
AU - Suriani Suriani
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Nursing research and practice
DO - 10.1155/nrp/4385505
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997340
AB - Effective self-management in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) requires sustained adherence to diet, physical activity, medication, and lifestyle modification. However, conventional diabetes education often remains generic, one-directional, and insufficiently responsive to the psychological, behavioral, and contextual challenges patients face in daily life. Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) may offer a more engaging approach to diabetes education, yet evidence on the user needs that should inform such interventions remains limited. This study explored the psychological, behavioral, and educational needs of adults with T2DM and healthcare providers to inform the development of VR-assisted self-management support. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted involving adults with T2DM (n = 12) and healthcare providers (n = 6), purposively recruited based on their experience in diabetes self-management or care; prior technology experience was not required. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Seven interrelated themes were identified: (1) psychological experiences of living with and managing diabetes, (2) motivation and adherence, (3) adaptation of physical activity, (4) dietary management challenges, (5) limitations of current diabetes education, (6) educational needs supporting self-management, and (7) VR as an alternative educational medium. Participants described emotional distress, uncertainty, adherence fatigue, and difficulty translating advice into daily behaviors. Existing education was often perceived as overly general, medically framed, and insufficiently tailored to real-life needs. Both patients and healthcare providers preferred education that is simple, interactive, practical, and grounded in everyday experiences. VR was viewed as a potentially valuable medium for simulating realistic self-management scenarios, although concerns regarding usability and complexity were also raised. These findings provide a user-centered qualitative foundation for developing immersive VR-assisted diabetes self-management support, intended to complement conventional education; its feasibility, sustainability, and effectiveness remain to be evaluated.
SN - 2090-1429
SN - 2090-1437
ER -