Simulation Training Needs of Nurses for Nursing High-Risk Premature Infants: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Nursing
• Medical Simulation
• Pediatric Critical Care

Background:

• Clinical training opportunities for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses are insufficient and often limited to observational learning.
• High-risk premature infants require specialized, sophisticated nursing care that current training may not adequately address.
• There is a growing need for effective educational strategies to equip nurses with essential skills for managing vulnerable premature infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the specific educational needs of nurses caring for high-risk premature infants.
• To prioritize these educational needs to inform the development of a targeted nursing simulation training program.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of analytical frameworks in determining training priorities for neonatal care.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive cross-sectional study surveyed 99 nurses from newborn nurseries and NICUs.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), Borich needs analysis, and locus for focus.
• Quantitative methods were employed to assess the importance and performance of various nursing skills.

Main Results:

• Nurses rated the importance of skills for caring for high-risk premature infants higher than their perceived performance.
• The "treatment and procedure" domain emerged as the area with the highest educational need.
• "Maintenance of various tubes" was identified as the top priority educational need following Borich needs analysis and locus for focus.

Conclusions:

• Nurses express a significant need for enhanced training in managing high-risk premature infants.
• Simulation-based training, particularly focusing on "treatment and procedures" like "maintenance of various tubes," is highly demanded.
• Prioritizing specific educational needs through rigorous analysis can guide the development of effective extended reality simulation programs for neonatal care.