Integrating Home Care: An Innovative Approach for Simulation Learning

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Simulation-Based Learning
• Community Health Nursing

Background:

• The nursing profession is evolving, with nurses taking on expanded roles in community-based care.
• Nurse educators must equip students with knowledge of home care patient and family needs.
• Traditional curricula may not fully address the complexities of modern home care nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel teaching strategy utilizing a home care video series and medication reconciliation simulation.
• To assess the impact of simulation-based learning on nursing students' preparedness for home care settings.
• To explore innovative educational methods for community-based nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• Development of a home care video series for educational purposes.
• Implementation of a medication reconciliation simulation scenario within a simulation center.
• Utilizing these resources as a teaching strategy for senior-level nursing students.

Main Results:

• The teaching strategy significantly improved senior nursing students' comprehension of home care nursing complexities.
• Students demonstrated a better understanding of the nurse's role in care coordination, transitions, and interprofessional collaboration.
• The home care video scenario was positively received by the participating nursing students.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based education, including video scenarios, is an effective method for teaching home care nursing.
• Further development of simulation scenarios is needed to address health disparities in vulnerable populations.
• The simulation approach holds potential for virtual-online delivery, especially during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.