Impact of high-fidelity simulation in pediatric nursing teaching: an experimental study

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess the impact of high-fidelity clinical simulation on undergraduate teaching, specifically in the Pediatric Nursing area. Method: a quasi-experimental study of the pre- and post-test type, developed at three public Higher Educations Institutions (HEIs) in Brazil. The participants were 93 undergraduate Nursing students, enrolled in the Pediatric Nursing academic disciplines, and randomly allocated to the control or experimental groups. The data were collected in the first half of 2017, through a structured knowledge test and the Satisfaction with Simulated Clinical Experiences Scale. The experimental group received the usual intervention (participation in the theoretical and theoretical-practical activities offered in the disciplines) and the study intervention (high-fidelity clinical simulation); the control group only received the usual intervention. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive and analytical statistics. An explanatory model was prepared by means of multiple linear regression to assess the impact of simulation on teaching. Results: the mean difference between the knowledge pre- and post-tests was 4.04 points (p=0.0004) higher among the experimental group participants, indicating a greater increase in knowledge with the simulation. The participants from University A, who performed the simulation after the theoretical activities and before the theoretical-practical activities, obtained a higher mean difference between the knowledge pre- and post-tests (by 3.89 points, p=0.0075) than that of obtained by the participants from the other institutions. In relation to the satisfaction scale, high scores were achieved (mean=9.11±0.67). Conclusion: high-fidelity clinical simulation in Pediatrics contributed to increasing the Nursing students’ knowledge and satisfaction levels.