Can High-Fidelity Patient Simulation Be Used for Skill Development in Junior Undergraduate Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

High-fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) is widely used in professional training to enhance students’ competence in clinical management. A guideline for HFPS provides a systematic approach to direct students to learning during the simulation process. Problem-solving (PS) and clinical reasoning (CR) skills are essential to developing students’ professional competence in safe and effective care. These two skills should be initiated in the early training. A structured guideline was developed for HFPS. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the structured HFPS guideline on the development of PS and CR skills in junior nursing students. The students were required to go through four sessions, pre-briefing, simulation design, facilitation, and debriefing, for the HFPS; the study utilized the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) and the Nurses’ Clinical Reasoning Scale (NCRS) to measure PS and CR abilities before and after HFPS. Bivariate analysis, a one-sample t-test, and an independent t-test were performed to evaluate the performance of the PS and CR skills during the two study periods. A total of 189 students were recruited, with 92 in the intervention group and 97 in the control group. The research assistant was responsible for student recruitment through email invitations and allocating the students into the control group or the intervention group. A Wilcoxon analysis was performed and revealed significant differences in PS and CR between the two groups (p < 0.001). The analytic results showed that the PSI, particularly in domains of Problem-Solving Confidence (PSC) (p < 0.001) and overall PS (p < 0.001), and the CR (p < 0.001) had significant improvement after HFPS, particularly in the intervention group. The study concluded that the structured HFPS guideline significantly improved the students’ problem-solving and clinical reasoning abilities. Nurse educators play an important role in providing explicit learning instructions in a simulation guideline that directs and guides students to learn at each stage of HFPS. The students can be directed to be engaged in their learning through HFPS to enhance their competence in knowledge and skill development (PS and CR) for their personal and professional development.