Development and Validation of Simulation-Based Procedural Checklists for Evaluation of Neonatal Nurse Practitioner...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Nursing
• Medical Simulation
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) procedural competence is critical for patient care.
• High-risk, low-frequency procedures benefit from simulation for skill retention.
• A gap existed in validated competency metrics for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and validate procedural checklists for assessing NNP competence.
• To measure NNP performance in simulated high-risk NICU procedures.

Main Methods:

• Developed and distributed self/peer assessment tools for baseline competency perception.
• Created procedural checklists and benchmark videos to define skill standards.
• Scored NNP procedural skills using real-time and video analysis by three evaluators.

Main Results:

• Procedural checklists demonstrated reliability and validity (Cronbach α).
• Live and video-based grading showed minimal, nonsignificant differences (<3%) for 8/9 procedures.
• High inter-rater reliability was observed, with no significant differences between graders.

Conclusions:

• Standardized procedural checklists are valid tools for evaluating NNP skills in simulation.
• Simulation experiences improve NNP skills, performance, and potentially patient outcomes.