Breaking Bad News via Telehealth: Simulation Training for Nurse Practitioner Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Practice
• Telehealth Communication

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for healthcare professionals to communicate with patients via telehealth.
• Breaking bad news remotely is a critical skill for future healthcare practice, necessitating specific training for students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of simulation training on nurse practitioner (NP) students' preparedness for delivering bad news via telehealth.
• To assess NP students' perceptions of learning satisfaction, confidence, and self-rated preparedness after a telehealth communication simulation.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving 33 NP students from two universities.
• Pre- and post-simulation questionnaires analyzed student perceptions, satisfaction, confidence, and preparedness.
• Utilized standardized patients for a realistic telehealth communication simulation.

Main Results:

• Students reported higher self-rated preparedness for delivering bad news after the simulation training.
• Participants found the teaching methods effective, engaging, and adaptable to their learning styles.
• Key themes identified were the value of the simulation process and its applicability to future NP roles.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based training is an effective method for enhancing NP students' skills in breaking bad news virtually.
• This approach serves as a valuable supplement to traditional didactic training for telehealth communication.
• The findings underscore the importance of preparing students for the evolving landscape of virtual patient interactions.