Harnessing lived experience in health professions simulation-based education: a scoping review

Simulation is an established pedagogical approach in health professions education, typically led by educators and informed by their clinical expertise. Partnerships between educators and people with lived experience ensures simulation authentically represents the needs of people accessing healthcare. To map available literature on how lived experiences are incorporated into health professions simulation-based education a scoping review was conducted. In April 2024 CINAHL Complete, Scopus, ERIC, Medline, PsycINFO, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global Database were searched. Studies were screened against the inclusion criteria, and data was extracted from 45 studies using a purposively developed and piloted extraction tool, and organised according to four research questions. Medicine and nursing most commonly include lived experiences in simulation-based education and cultural and linguistic diversity is the lived experience most often harnessed. Lived experience involvement across the entire six phases of simulation design and delivery was not common, however active and meaningful involvement was represented at each stage. Lived experience involvement enhances simulation-based education and provides an additional opportunity for people with lived experience to be involved in health professions education. There is an urgent need for guidelines describing how educators can harness lived experiences in simulation-based education. Further research, in partnership with people with lived experience, is required to determine how to more authentically represent lived experience in simulation-based education.