%0 Journal Article
%T Enhancing nursing students' clinical competency using a multi-patient simulation learning model: A randomized controlled study.
%A Fung JTC
%A Chan SL
%A Chan CK
%A Lam CF
%A Chau YS
%A Lam WH
%A Cheng CCW
%A Lai MH
%J Nurse Educ Today
%V 140
%N 0
%D 2024 09 19
%M 38944938
%F 3.906
%R 10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106292
%X For nurses, clinical competency is paramount in ensuring that patients receive safe, high-quality care. Multi-patient simulation (MPS) in nursing education is gaining attention, and evidence shows its suitability for real-life situations. MPS can be an effective solution for nurses' continuing clinical education.
This project compares the effectiveness of MPS (involving both a standardized patient and a high fidelity simulator) and a single high-fidelity simulation (single HFS; only involving a high fidelity simulator) for enhancing the clinical competency of nursing students.
A stratified, permuted, block randomized controlled study design was used.
Sixty undergraduate nursing students in years 3, 4, and 5 were selected to participate. Subgroups with each comprising three undergraduate nursing students from different years were formed.
The participants were randomized to receive either an MPS (intervention group) or single HFS (control group) for 1 day; they later received the same intervention after a 30-day washout period. One objectively measured questionnaire and two self-reported questionnaires were used to measure clinical competency: the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (CCEI), Clinical Competence Questionnaire (CCQ), and Simulation Effectiveness Tool - Modified Questionnaire (SET-M).
The results revealed significant between-group differences. Specifically, the intervention group showed greater improvement than the control group in both the CCQ (linear contrast [d] = 71.4; 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 53.407, 89.393; P < 0.001) and CCEI total scores (d = 7.17; 95 % CI = 5.837, 8.503; P < 0.001). The SET-M results indicated that 85 % of the participants (n = 51) strongly agreed that they felt more confident about performing a patient handover to the healthcare team after the simulation.
The study findings indicated that both the MPS and single HFS effectively enhanced students' clinical competency. However, MPSs have superior educational outcomes relative to traditional single HFSs.