The role of simulation in oncology nursing: A systematic review

This study aims to evaluate the impact of simulation-based learning on improving clinical skills, decision-making, confidence and critical thinking among nurses in the oncology setting compared with traditional teaching methods.

The global oncology nursing workforce, estimated at approximately 28 million nurses, remains insufficient to meet the growing demands of cancer care worldwide. Simulation-based training offers a promising approach to enhancing competencies in clinical skills, decision-making and communication for nurses. However, there is limited research on best practices for simulation in oncology nursing.

A systematic review was conducted guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and Synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines.

The search initially found 135 articles, a total of 15 studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the review DATA SOURCES: PubMed and CINHAL for articles published in English from 1st January 2004-1 st October 2024.

Our findings demonstrated a significant improvement in pain management knowledge, with mean scores rising from 32.15 in the control group to 50.84 in the simulation group. Communication skills training enhanced truth-telling confidence by a mean difference of 16.86, while tele-health simulation increased competence scores, with a mean improvement to 22.64.

Our findings highlight the effectiveness of simulation in improving knowledge, clinical skills and confidence, supporting its integration into nursing education and professional development programs.