Paper
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Unique Approaches to Nursing Education
Evidence-Based Learning: The Development of an Intelligent Simulation Program for the Medical-Surgical Nursing Curriculum at Thomas Jefferson University
Agnes M. Morrison, EdD, RN, Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Learning Objective #1: Discuss the use of high fidelity simulation to develop critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills in health care learners.
Learning Objective #2: Identify how to facilitate a health care simulation training session.
An educational strategy to support evidence-based nursing is to use high fidelity simulation. The evidence suggests that the use of simulation to practice realistic patient care is a useful teaching and learning tool for health care education. One such tool is the Laerdal Sim Man Universal Patient Simulator.

Laerdal's simulator is an electromechanical mannequin linked to a computer that is programmed to make the mannequin's vital signs, peripheral pulses, lung sounds, and cardiac rhythm respond to both the medical problem programmed and the learner's response to the problem. Depending upon the learner's action this simulated patient can get better, stay the same, deteriorate, and even die. The use of realistic simulation enables the learner to practice and make mistakes in a lifelike environment without harming an actual patient.

This presentation will discuss the utilization of developmental research to identify the appropriate and specific form and content for basic nursing skills simulations, a respiratory patient simulation, a cardiovascular patient simulation, and a neurological patient simulation. This developmental research included the conduction of a literature review relevant to the scope of this study; formation of a formative committee for review and feedback of the criteria, form, and content of the proposed simulation program model; and utilization of a summative committee for further review and expert validation.

This presentation will present the results of the study, which is a validated simulation program with an implementation and evaluation plan. The development of this intelligent simulation program helped close the gap between existing and needed instructional material to use with the Laerdal Sim Man Universal Patient Simulator.

See more of Unique Approaches to Nursing Education
See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)