Promoting Nurses' Self-Efficacy in Advanced Cardiac Life Support Through High-Fidelity Simulation

Abstract

Background Self-efficacy in resuscitation is influenced by various educational models, including high-fidelity simulation (HFS). Method Sixty-two nurses who were enrolled in an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course using HFS were recruited for this pretest–posttest, quasi-experimental study. Self-efficacy was assessed three times—twice via the participants' self-report and once via the instructor's assessment—using the Resuscitation Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES). Results The four dimensions of self-efficacy—recognition, debriefing and recording, responding and rescuing, and reporting—improved after the HFS education ( t = 4.89, SE = 1.84, p < .001, confidence interval [−12.7, −5.33]). The instructor's scoring was higher than the participants' scoring in two of the four dimensions. The score on the ACLS written examination was positively correlated with the posttest RSES score ( r = 0.303, p = .017). Despite minimal variations between demographic subgroups, nurses who had never been involved in resuscitation exhibited a significant improvement in self-efficacy after the HFS ACLS education ( t = 4.72, SE = 2.54, p < .001, confidence interval [−17.3, −6.7]). Conclusion Self-efficacy can be a core measurable outcome that gauges nurses' clinical competency concerning HFS education for ACLS. [ J Contin Educ Nurs . 2022;53(4):185–192.]