Recognizing and managing a deteriorating patient: a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of clinical simulation in improving clinical performance in undergraduate nursing students

Abstract Background Formative and summative evaluation are widely employed in simulated-based assessment. The aims of our study were to evaluate the acquisition of nursing competencies through clinical simulation in undergraduate nursing students and to compare their satisfaction with this methodology using these two evaluation strategies. Methods Two hundred eighteen undergraduate nursing students participated in a cross-sectional study, using a mixed-method. MAES© (self-learning methodology in simulated environments) sessions were developed to assess students by formative evaluation. Objective Structured Clinical Examination sessions were conducted to assess students by summative evaluation. Simulated scenarios recreated clinical cases of critical patients. Students´ performance in all simulated scenarios were assessed using checklists. A validated questionnaire was used to evaluate satisfaction with clinical simulation. Quantitative data were analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 24.0 software, whereas qualitative data were analysed using the ATLAS-ti version 8.0 software. Results Most nursing students showed adequate clinical competence. Satisfaction with clinical simulation was higher when students were assessed using formative evaluation. The main students’ complaints with summative evaluation were related to reduced time for performing simulated scenarios and increased anxiety during their clinical performance. Conclusion The best solution to reduce students’ complaints with summative evaluation is to orient them to the simulated environment. It should be recommended to combine both evaluation strategies in simulated-based assessment, providing students feedback in summative evaluation, as well as evaluating their achievement of learning outcomes in formative evaluation.

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Effects of blended versus offline case-centred learning on the academic performance and critical thinking ability of undergraduate nursing students: A cluster randomised controlled trial

Nurse Education in Practice ◽

10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103080 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 103080

Author(s):

ZhenzhenRong YuHu ◽

Ling Shen ◽

Jiayuan Zhuang ◽

Yimin Chen ◽

Meijing Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nursing Students ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Undergraduate Nursing Students ◽

Critical Thinking Ability ◽

Undergraduate Nursing ◽

Cluster Randomised ◽

Thinking Ability ◽

Randomised Controlled

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Effects of a Clinical Simulation Course about Basic Life Support on Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Learning

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18041409 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1409

Author(s):

María del Mar Requena-Mullor ◽

Raquel Alarcón-Rodríguez ◽

María Isabel Ventura-Miranda ◽

Jessica García-González

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Basic Life Support ◽

Life Support ◽

Undergraduate Nursing Students ◽

Assessment Protocol ◽

Clinical Simulation ◽

Undergraduate Nursing ◽

Post Test

Training in basic life support (BLS) using clinical simulation improves compression rates and the development of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. This study analyzed the learning outcomes of undergraduate nursing students taking a BLS clinical simulation course. A total of 479 nursing students participated. A pre-test and post-test were carried out to evaluate theoretical knowledge of BLS through questions about anatomical physiology, cardiac arrest, the chain of survival, and CPR. A checklist was used in the simulation to evaluate practical skills of basic CPR. The learning outcomes showed statistically significant differences in the total score of the pre-test and after completing the BLS clinical simulation course (pre-test: 12.61 (2.30), post-test: 15.60 (2.06), p < 0.001). A significant increase in the mean scores was observed after completing the course in each of the four parts of the assessment protocol (p < 0.001). The increase in scores in the cardiac arrest and CPR sections were relevant (Rosenthal’s r: −0.72). The students who had prior knowledge of BLS scored higher on both the pre-test and the post-test. The BLS simulation course was an effective method of teaching and learning BLS skills.

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