The role of manikins in nursing students' learning: A systematic review and thematic metasynthesis

To summarise and synthesise findings from qualitative primary research studies of nursing students' experiences from educational activities using manikins to gain a deeper understanding of the role these manikins play in the students' learning.

A systematic review and thematic metasynthesis were conducted. Cinahl+, Ovid Medline, ERIC and Embase were searched systematically.

Sandelowski and Barroso's framework guided the review process. A comprehensive search to identify qualitative studies of nursing students' experiences from learning with manikins was performed in January 2019 and updated in April 2020. Study selection was guided by six screening questions derived from these inclusion criteria: qualitative primary studies, published from 2008, in English or Scandinavian, presenting findings of undergraduate nursing students' experiences with manikins at all fidelity levels. Thomas and Harden's method for thematic synthesis was followed.

Twenty-eight articles of twenty-seven studies were included. We identified three synthesised analytic themes: Seeing the manikin as a doll or a patient, Experiencing yourself as a nurse caring for a patient, and Being a team member.

When it is perceived as a patient, a manikin can give students a realistic experience of what it means to behave like nurses. Consequently, this realism lets students practice and acquire relational, communicative, and collaborative nursing skills. Using a manikin can facilitate the development of students' professional identity.