The use of virtual simulation or virtual patients in nursing education: An integrative literature review

Uvod: Epidemija covida-19 je omejila praktično usposabljanje študentov zdravstvene nege. V zdravstveni negi simulacije niso novost, razmeroma novo področje izobraževanja pa so virtualne simulacije ali virtualni pacienti. Namen pregleda je bil preučiti najnovejše empirične ugotovitve o učinkovitosti oziroma uspešnosti uporabe virtualnih simulacij ali virtualnih pacientov pri študiju zdravstvene nege po svetu. Metode: Pregledani so bili znanstveni članki, objavljeni med letoma 2016 in 2021 v bibliografskih bazah CINAHL, MEDLINE, ERIC ter v kataložno-bibliografski bazi podatkov COBIB. Proučevani so bili članki, ki so obravnavali študente zdravstvene nege, pri katerih sta bila virtualna simulacija ali virtualni pacient uporabljena za način učenja in ne kot način preverjanja usvojenega znanja druge učne metode. Sinteza rezultatov je bila narejena s tematsko analizo. Rezultati: Vključenih je bilo 12 raziskav, ki so bile večinoma opravljene v razvitih državah. Rezultati so pokazali pozitiven vpliv virtualnih simulacij ali virtualnih pacientov na kognitivno in afektivno domeno znanja, praktično izvedbo intervencij, oceno samoučinkovitosti, kompetentnosti in zadovoljstva študentov. Diskusija in zaključek: Kadar kliničnega usposabljanja za študente zdravstvene nege ni mogoče zagotoviti, so virtualne simulacije ali virtualni pacienti lahko eno izmed možnih okolij za trening kliničnih odločitev, ki bi jih študent sicer pridobil v klinični praksi, ne morejo pa nadomestiti kliničnega usposabljanja in izkušenj, ki jih študent pridobi ob pacientu.Alternate :Introduction: The Covid-19 epidemic has significantly compromised the practical training of nursing students. While in nursing, the use of simulation is not new, virtual simulation or virtual patients represent relatively new educational modalities. The aim of this literature review was to examine the most recent empirical evidence on the efficacy or effectiveness of using virtual simulation or virtual patients in nursing education around the world. Methods: Scholarly articles published between 2016 and 2021 in the CINAHL, MEDLINE, ERIC and COBIB bibliographic databases were reviewed. The review included articles which focused on student nurses using virtual simulation or virtual patients as a method of learning rather than as a way of assessing students' knowledge acquired through a different learning method. A thematic analysis was used to synthesise the results. Results: Twelve studies were included in the review, most of which were conducted in developed countries. The results showed that the use of virtual simulation or virtual patients has a positive effect on the acquisition of cognitive and affective knowledge, practical implementation of interventions, assessment of self-efficacy and competence, and student satisfaction. Discussion and conclusion: In situations where clinical training is not possible for nursing students, the use of virtual simulation or virtual patients can replace the clinical setting for the purposes of practising clinical decisions, but it cannot replace the clinical education and experience students obtain when working with actual patients.