Using simulated patients as a learning strategy to support undergraduate nurses to develop patient-teaching skills

An increase in the number of patients with long-term conditions has required a greater focus on nurse-led educational interventions to enable patients to develop self-management strategies. However, patient education is frequently taken for granted, and nurses sometimes consider that their undergraduate training does not prepare them to participate in effective patient teaching.

The study aimed to formatively evaluate a simulated role-play scenario facilitated with third-year nursing students to support the development of patient-teaching skills.

The study combined two approaches to simulation, using high-fidelity and mid-fidelity simulation scenarios sequentially. This enabled students (n=20) to apply the communication strategies learnt to both a skills-based procedural situation and a patient-teaching simulation. A five-item pro forma with four open questions and one closed question was used for formative evaluation.

The results indicated that using a simulated patient to practise patient-teaching skills was perceived by the students to be a valuable method of learning that they could transfer to clinical practice.

The findings suggested that facilitating learning with a simulated patient is useful in replicating authentic verbal and practical interactions with a patient in practice.