Comparing the learning effects of debriefing modalities for the care of premature infants

The aim of this study was to compare the learning effects of debriefing methods used in the simulation of prematurity care by measuring: (i) academic self-efficacy; (ii) confidence in performance; (iii) self-assessed communication skills; and (iv) satisfaction. We employed a quasi-experimental design with three experimental groups that experienced instructor-directed, self-directed, and video-assisted, self-directed debriefing, respectively. Participants were 146 senior nursing students from three nursing schools. To compare learning effects, the same developed scenario for prematurity care was applied to all three groups. Significant differences were observed in the mean scores for the study variables among the three groups. The post-hoc analysis showed that the video-assisted, self-directed debriefing group obtained the highest mean score difference for confidence in performance, self-assessed communication skills, and satisfaction with the debriefing method. Thus, video-assisted, self-directed debriefing could be the most effective debriefing method for students.