Development of a conceptual framework for a Virtual Reality-based Seizure Management Education Program for Parents (VR-ESMEPP)

•Virtual reality technology, which provides both an audio and visual environment, is very important in moments of crisis such as epileptic seizures.•It enables families to gain real knowledge and skills in managing epileptic seizures at home.•It also identifies the actual knowledge and skills of the families, because it guarantees an objective assessment of the approach at the time of a real epileptic seizure.•Education program based on virtual reality technology is a training program that includes both training and evaluation steps away from bias. Parents of children with epilepsy need support when managing epileptic seizures outside medical-care-center-settings. Previously developed training programs only provide information-based support. Therefore, within the scope of the VR-ESMEPP, a conceptual framework was developed in this study with the aim of developing parents’ skills and motivation as well as providing them information regarding seizure management. The conceptual framework of the VR-ESMEPP was developed in four steps. In step 1, a scenario was developed wherein a pediatric patient with epilepsy is having a seizure. The selected seizure type was “Focal to bilateral tonic-clonic” seizure, which is the most common and most skill-intensive type of tonic–clonic-seizure. In step 2, data collection tools related to epileptic seizure management were developed for parents. These tools included Child and Parent Introductory Form, Parental Information Assessment Form for Epileptic Seizure Management, and Parental Skills Assessment Form for Epileptic Seizure Management. In step 3, the conceptual framework and data collection tools developed were confirmed by a group of 10 specialists consisting of physicians and pediatric nurses working in the field of pediatric neurology. In step 4, the epileptic-pediatric-patient-scenario and data collection tools confirmed by experts were programmed into an application by a software company and integrated into virtual reality headsets. VR-ESMEPP with the conceptual framework described in the present study is a valid virtual reality-based program, which can be carried out under nurses’ supervision and used to provide epilepsy-related education to parents. VR-ESMEPP helped parents increase their knowledge and skills of epileptic seizure.