Addressing telehealth education in a family nurse practitioner program through simulation-based learning

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Simulation

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased telehealth usage, necessitating rapid adaptation by healthcare agencies.
• Many healthcare providers lacked adequate training in telehealth delivery models, whether in practice or academic settings.
• Existing educational frameworks and best practices were insufficient for preparing providers for virtual care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop, implement, and evaluate a telehealth medical skills learning module and standardized patient simulation.
• To provide an objective method for assessing student clinical performance in a telehealth context.
• To enhance student satisfaction and self-confidence in utilizing telehealth in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A learning module focused on essential telehealth medical skills was designed based on educational theory and evidence.
• A summative assessment using standardized patient simulation was implemented to evaluate skill acquisition.
• The development, implementation, and evaluation processes of the module and simulation were documented.

Main Results:

• The learning module and simulation offered a novel teaching strategy for telehealth.
• The simulation provided an objective measurement of student clinical performance, surpassing traditional methods.
• Students reported increased satisfaction with the simulation experience and greater self-confidence.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based learning is an effective strategy for teaching and assessing telehealth skills.
• This approach enhances objective performance evaluation and boosts student confidence.
• The developed module and simulation can be valuable tools for telehealth education in healthcare programs.