Effectiveness of a Haemorrhage-Control Task Simulator for Training Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Hemorrhage control is a critical skill for healthcare professionals.
• Effective training methods are needed to improve student proficiency in managing severe bleeding.
• High-fidelity simulation offers a promising avenue for practical skills acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a low-cost hemorrhage control task simulator within a high-fidelity simulation scenario.
• To assess the impact on nursing students' knowledge, practical skills, and self-efficacy in hemorrhage control.
• To determine the retention of these skills over a three-month period.

Main Methods:

• A quasiexperimental before-after study design was employed.
• 103 final-year nursing students participated in the intervention.
• Knowledge, self-efficacy, time to control bleeding, and blood loss volume were assessed pre- and post-intervention, and at three months.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in knowledge scores (p < 0.001).
• Students demonstrated enhanced self-efficacy and improved hemorrhage control metrics (time and volume loss, p < 0.001).
• Improvements were sustained at the three-month follow-up, though slightly diminished.

Conclusions:

• The hemorrhage control task simulator effectively enhanced nursing students' skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy.
• The simulator is a valuable tool for nursing education, supporting a train-the-trainer approach for wider dissemination.
• Continued use of this simulator can improve bleeding control proficiency among healthcare professionals and laypersons.