"Get Connected": Integrating Telehealth Triage in a Prelicensure Clinical Simulation.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Informatics
• Simulation Technology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated innovative approaches to clinical education.
• Social isolation restrictions limited opportunities for direct client interaction.
• Telehealth simulation emerged as a viable solution for nursing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a telehealth postnatal triage simulation for nursing students.
• To assess the effectiveness of interactive video technologies in clinical learning.
• To address the need for client interaction in a simulated environment.

Main Methods:

• Faculty designed a telehealth postnatal triage simulation.
• Interactive video technologies were utilized for client interaction.
• The simulation was implemented in response to COVID-19 restrictions.

Main Results:

• Telehealth triage simulation is a cost-effective and engaging teaching strategy.
• It serves as a valuable formative assessment method for students.
• The simulation can be readily created with existing resources.

Conclusions:

• The telehealth simulation experience is valuable for achieving student clinical learning outcomes.
• Continued use of this method is recommended beyond social restriction periods.
• Future research should measure simulation effectiveness and incorporate interprofessional collaboration.