Enhancing healthcare communication education: Standardised patient programmes.

This article delves into standardised patients' (SP) roles in healthcare education, using role-play and in-person methodology for realistic scenario simulation and learner technical and non-technical skill enhancement. Key to the success of the SP programme are phases like recruitment, onboarding, training and continuous quality improvement, cultivating a qualified pool of engaged SPs. Sustained SP engagement involves strategies such as tailored training sessions, quizzes, just-in-time videos and anaesthesia-specific self-assessment tools. The benefits of sessions led by SPs lie in their flexibility, providing anaesthesia learners with a controlled, experiential learning environment, where they can safely learn from mistakes. Addressing challenges in launching SP programmes for training, the article underscores clear objectives, strategic resource allocation, curriculum integration and specialised SP training. Implementing technology, quality assurance and ongoing evaluations are vital for dynamic SP programmes. The article advocates holistic SP programme implementation and optimisation, with continuous improvement for acquiring skills by anaesthesia professionals.

The Use of Standardized Patients to Teach Communication Skills-A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize research completed between 2011 and 2021 to report the current state of the science on the use of standardized patients (SPs) to teach communication skills. The research question that guided this study was, "Among health care professionals, does the use of SP methodology as a means of teaching communication skills result in improved learner knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or patient outcomes when compared with other simulation methodologies?" DESIGN: This review was reported in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).Data SourcesFour databases (CINAHL, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, and Scopus) were searched using a combination of medical subject headings, or Mesh terms, as well as keywords to retrieve nonindexed citations.Review MethodsThe inclusion criteria were broad to complete a comprehensive search of the literature. To be eligible for inclusion, a study had to be original research that compared simulation using an SP to another simulation methodology. The study had to evaluate communication knowledge, skill, attitude, and/or patient outcome with an academic or practicing health care professional. RESULTS: The initial database search strategy yielded 8058 citations. These results were narrowed down to 18 studies through an in-depth analysis of each article using identified inclusion criteria. The SPs were superior to role play in 1 (33%, n = 3) study where knowledge was evaluated, 6 (75%, n = 8) studies where skills were evaluated, and 1 (20%, n = 5) study where attitude was evaluated. The SPs were compared with a manikin in 5 studies. The SPs were superior to a manikin in 3 (60%, n = 5) studies where knowledge was measured and in 1 (100%, n = 1) study where attitude was measured. No study measured the outcome knowledge of an SP to a manikin. Finally, SPs were compared with a virtual SP in 3 studies. When knowledge was evaluated, SPs were superior to a virtual SP in 1 study (100%, n = 1). When skills were evaluated, SPs were superior to a virtual SP in 1 study (50%, n = 2), and when attitude was evaluated, SPs were superior to a virtual SP in no study (0%, n = 2). No study evaluated patient outcomes in the comparison of an SP to another simulation methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Studies show a weak indication that SP-based education is superior to other simulation methodologies in most contexts. However more rigorous studies with larger sample sizes, validated instruments, and effects on patient outcomes are needed to definitively determine the optimal method/modality for teaching communication to health care professionals.

Redefining Health-Care Simulation Facilitator Professional Development Through Online Learning.

Competition for nursing clinical sites has intensified as universities have increased enrollment to meet the growing demand for nurses. Hospital mandates have reduced opportunities for nursing students to practice clinical skills, leading nursing programs to use simulation to help learners gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for transition to clinical practice. Simulation offers a safe learning environment and a guarantee that every student will have experience with critical clinical encounters. To be effective, health-care simulation must be facilitated by trained educators knowledgeable in simulation pedagogy, including theory-based simulation frameworks and debriefing models. Training simulation facilitators is often challenged by financial and time constraints. The need for an easily accessible, asynchronous, cost-effective method of providing foundational simulation training led a group of experienced simulationists to develop a series of seven online educational modules grounded in simulation best practices.

The Use of Simulation-Based Education With New Graduate Nurses in Emergency Department and Acute Care Settings: A Scoping Review.

Background The literature questions if newly graduated nurses are truly ready to practice at the bedside. Simulation has been shown to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate what is known about the use of simulation education with novice graduate nurses in critical care settings in the hospital. Method A scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Articles published in English between 2015 and September 2021 that focused on simulation education with novice graduate nurses in a critical care setting were included. Results The review yielded six articles. Conclusion The literature is scant on the use of simulation in critical care areas with novice graduate nurses. Additional inquiry is needed related to the role of learners, cost, timing, setting, and educational practices. More studies with stronger research designs and valid and reliable measurement instruments are also needed. Finally, there is a need to better understand the effects of simulation on novice nurse graduates' knowledge and skills as well as patient outcomes. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(7):301-306.].

Identifying and Addressing Statewide Nursing Simulation Needs.

ABSTRACT: A statewide simulation assessment was conducted in one southeastern state using the Program Assessment Survey for Simulation. Simulation coordinators from 22 prelicensure nursing programs were interviewed. The findings revealed several areas where faculty education was needed: theory, design, facilitation, debriefing, interprofessional education, and evaluation. A free online simulation fundamentals course was effective in addressing the areas where education was required.

Scaffolding and Sequencing Core Concepts to Develop a Simulation-Integrated Nursing Curriculum.

Integrating simulation in multiple levels of nursing programs remains a challenge for educators. Nurse educators from various degree-granting programs were surveyed to identify placement of multiple nursing concepts. The results of the survey identified concepts that could be incorporated, that is, scaffolded, into various levels of education via concept-based simulations. Categorizing concepts into multiple learner levels provides an efficient, systematic approach to incorporating concepts into simulation throughout any nursing curriculum.