At the 12th Congress of the European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS 2026) in Athens, Greece, Dr Christiana Nicolaou, Assistant Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology, showcased an innovative approach to paediatric nursing education through her PeDXR poster presentation.
Dr Nicolaou highlighted the unique challenges of paediatric nursing care, which must address the specific needs and characteristics of both children and their families. These complexities can make it challenging to provide student nurses with sufficient opportunities to develop paediatric clinical skills in real-life settings. The integration of Extended Reality (XR) into nursing education offers a promising solution, enabling students to acquire and apply knowledge while developing critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills in a safe and controlled environment.
During her presentation, Dr Nicolaou provided an overview of the PeDXR project, including its background, methodology, development, piloting, and evaluation of its Extend Reality Application. She demonstrated how immersive learning environments, such as the one developed by PeDXR, can support the delivery of engaging and meaningful paediatric nursing education.
PeDXR’s participation at EAPS 2026 highlighted the potential of immersive technologies to transform the way paediatric nursing students learn. By allowing students to visualise clinical concepts, acquire knowledge, and practise skills in an interactive, safe, and accessible environment, XR can complement or reduce reliance on traditional training approaches that often require significant financial resources, physical presence, time, and logistical planning.
The presentation also raised awareness of how cutting-edge immersive technology can bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world paediatric clinical practice, supporting the development of confident, knowledgeable, and clinically prepared future paediatric nurses.
