Validation of the Simulation Effectiveness Tool in Nursing Education.

BACKGROUND: The Simulation Effectiveness Tool (SET) frequently is used to assess perceived learning and confidence in simulation. However, few studies have reported the validity of the tool. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the SET. METHOD: This retrospective analysis evaluated the tool using 568 cases conducted at three nursing schools. RESULTS: A two-factor model showed reasonable fit indices. The fit statistics for the two-factor structure were: χ2, 152.98 (df = 53, p < .001); comparative fit index, 0.94; root mean square error of approximation, 0.05 (range, 0.04 to 0.06); and standardized root mean square residual, 0.04. In addition, weak convergence was identified between the confidence in the SET and responding in the Lasater rubric. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties of the study indicate the SET has demonstrated acceptable evidence of validity and reliability to measure simulation effectiveness in Korean nursing students. The use of this instrument for brief simulation education is recommended. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(4):186-193.].

Development and usability of a Hands-On Assessment Tool for Child Health: The HATCH.

AIM: To develop a comprehensive, hands-on assessment tool for assessing health in children under five in underserved regions. DESIGN: Methodological study design and usability testing were used. SAMPLE: Eight nurses working at two health posts and 261 children under five living in the migrant villages participated in the study. MEASUREMENT: The developed tool was evaluated using 10 items of a questionnaire based on the honeycomb model of Morville (2004). Community nurses administered the questionnaire then followed with a focus group interview after completing a child health exam using the developed tool. Data were collected during July 2017. RESULTS: The Hands-on Assessment Tool for Child Health is composed of developmental screening, identification of risk factors and clinical signs, growth measurement, diagnostic tests and interpretation of each subdomain, and final impressions. Management strategies include parent education, resource networking, referral to a paediatrician, and follow-up plans. Usability testing revealed high scores on the facets "valuable," "useful," "desirable," and "findable." CONCLUSIONS: Considering the demand for hands-on tools in underserved regions, the developed tool can provide nurses with resources for competent management of child assessment, interpretation, and nurses' intervention strategies, fortified with clinical judgement processes.

The effect of simulation courseware on critical thinking in undergraduate nursing students: multi-site pre-post study.

BACKGROUND: The use of simulations has been considered as opportunities for students to enhance their critical thinking (CT), but previous studies were limited because they did not provide in-depth information on the working dynamics of simulation or on the effects of the number of simulation exposures on CT. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of an integrated pediatric nursing simulation used in a nursing practicum on students' CT abilities and identified the effects of differing numbers of simulation exposures on CT in a multi-site environment. DESIGN: The study used a multi-site, pre-test, post-test design. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: A total of 237 nursing students at three universities enrolled in a pediatric practicum participated in this study from February to December 2013. METHODS: All three schools used the same simulation courseware, including the same simulation scenarios, evaluation tools, and simulation equipment. The courseware incorporated high-fidelity simulators and standardized patients. Students at school A completed one simulation session, whereas students at schools B and C completed two and three simulation sessions, respectively. Yoon's Critical Thinking Disposition tool (2008) was used to measure students' CT abilities. RESULTS: The gains in students' CT scores varied according to their numbers of exposures to the simulation courseware. With a single exposure, there were no statistically significant gains in CT, whereas three exposures to the courseware produced significant gains in CT. In seven subcategories of critical thinking, three exposures to the simulation courseware produced CT gains in the prudence and intellectual eagerness subcategories, and the overall simulation experience produced CT gains in the prudence, systematicity, healthy skepticism, and intellectual eagerness subcategories. CONCLUSIONS: Simulation courseware may produce positive learning outcomes for prudence in nursing education. In addition, the findings from the multi-site comparative study may contribute to greater understanding of how patient simulation experiences impact students' CT abilities.