Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Author Spotlight: Evaluating Clinicians' Adoption of Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Cannulation Through Simulation Training
Published on: August 9, 2024
Simulated Wound Care as a Competence Assessment Method for Student and Registered Nurses
Emilia Kielo-Viljamaa1, Maarit Ahtiala, Riitta Suhonen
1At the University of Turku, Finland, Emilia Kielo-Viljamaa, PhD, RN, is Researcher; Maarit Ahtiala, RN, is a wound care nurse; Riitta Suhonen, PhD, RN, is Professor and Director of Nursing; and Minna Stolt, PhD, is Podiatrist and University Lecturer. Acknowledgments: The authors thank the study participants as well as the wound care experts who gave their best efforts and assistance to develop the study instrument. They also thank the Finnish Wound Care Society and the University of Turku for financial support, as well as Mölnlycke Health Care AB for sponsoring some of the wound care products used in the simulations. The authors have disclosed no other financial relationships related to this article. Submitted November 3, 2020; accepted in revised form January 8, 2021; published online ahead of print July 19, 2021.
Objective:
To describe the development and use of a wound care simulation assessing RNs' and graduating student nurses' practical wound care competence and to describe observations of participants' wound care competence.
Methods:
A descriptive, qualitative design was used. Data were collected in 2019 from 50 healthcare professionals and students using a simulated wound care situation and an imaginary patient case. The simulation was based on a previously developed and tested wound care competence assessment instrument, which included a 14-item checklist that assesses practical wound care competence of chronic wounds. The data were analyzed and described based on the 14 competence areas or as other competencies.
Results:
Participants showed competence in identification of wound infection, debridement, dressing selection, tissue type identification, and consultation. Participants' shortcomings were related to pain assessment and management, asepsis, offloading, and documentation. Simulation was shown to be a promising tool to assess healthcare professionals' and students' practical wound care competence in a safe and standardized situation.
Conclusions:
This study provided new information about simulation as a method to assess student nurses' and RNs' wound care competence. The results could be used in wound care education planning and development in both undergraduate nursing education and continuing education for nursing professionals.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
01:20Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...