Pull through together or be detached? A qualitative study of experiential learning in nurse education during...

To illuminate nursing students' interactions during age suit simulation from the perspective of being a blind older person and being an attendant guiding the blind person.

Nursing students' understanding of age related and long-term, often multiple health problems are crucial for providing person-centred care in the home. In age suit simulation students take the perspectives of an older person which can improve their general attitudes towards older persons. However, focusing on blindness in age suit simulation is a novel concept.

The research design of this study is qualitative. During the autumn of 2022 to the spring of 2024 as a part of a larger intervention study project, nursing students (n = 68) were video-recorded during age suit simulation. The data was analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were constructed: (1) Pulling through together, (2) Dialogue is key when adapting to health problems and (3) Detached from each other. The third theme signifies the importance of being able to communicate in a meaningful way to adapt to each other's health problems. Students took different approaches to this challenge, which is reflected in the ways the students interacted with each other.

The results of this study can be used to formulate a learning strategy to teach nursing students about the perspectives of being an older person with health problems. The simulations can also be utilized to enhance nursing students' knowledge and skills when guiding a blind person in the context of a home environment. Furthermore, the results can be useful in highlighting a holistic perspective regarding care needs as a shared experience by older couples, which is relevant knowledge for any health and social care profession. This embodied understanding of health problems can be used to support and practice person-centred care for older persons.