Virtual clinical simulation to teach mental health concepts: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this review is to determine the extent of the literature on the use of virtual clinical simulation to teach health professional students about mental health. Introduction: Graduates of health professional programs need to be prepared to provide safe and effective care for persons with a mental illness in every practice context. Clinical placements in specialty areas are difficult to obtain and cannot ensure students will have opportunities to practice specific skills. Virtual simulation is a flexible and innovative tool that can be used in pre-registration health care education to effectively develop cognitive, communication, and psychomotor skills. Given the recent focus on virtual simulation usage, the literature will be mapped to determine what evidence exists regarding virtual clinical simulation to teach mental health concepts. Inclusion criteria: We will include reports that focus on pre-registration health professional students and use virtual simulation to teach mental health concepts. Reports that focus on health care workers, graduate students, patient viewpoints, or other uses will be excluded. Method: Four databases will be searched including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Reports with a focus on mental health virtual clinical simulation for health professional students will be mapped. Independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts, then review the full texts of articles. Data from studies meeting the inclusion criteria will be presented in figures and tables, and described narratively. Review registration number: Open Science Framework https://osf.io/r8tqh