Using Simulation to Teach Transitions of Care for Hospitalized Patients

Understanding and facilitating the seamless and safe transitions of patients across high-acuity hospital settings are important for students to grasp in order to meet patient and family care needs.

Clinical placements do not always give students the opportunity to care for patients in various hospital settings or apply complex knowledge and skills learned in their didactic courses. Furthermore, the global pandemic has limited student clinical experiences in health care settings, underscoring the need for simulated clinical learning opportunities.

A multiscenario simulation using a high-fidelity human patient simulation manikin was incorporated into a senior-level capstone course. Simulated hospital settings included the (1) emergency department, (2) critical care unit, and (3) progressive care unit.

Student evaluations revealed positive perceptions of learning, enhanced proficiency of clinical skills, and increased confidence regarding transitions of care. Faculty held agreeable opinions of the simulation's ease of facilitation and effectiveness as a teaching tool.

Application of complex knowledge and skills, understanding the use of bundles of care, and an appreciation for transitions of care hospitalized patients were successfully achieved.