The effect of evaluator presence in simulated scenarios on basic life support: a randomized study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the theoretical knowledge of nursing students before and after an educational intervention, investigating the impact of the direct and indirect presence of the evaluator on the students’ skills in a simulated clinical scenario of basic life support. Method: randomized clinical trial, developed between October and December 2023, at a federal university in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Seventy-three fourth-year students were included, with five student losses during the study. The initial sample consisted of 68 students, randomized into a control group (n=33) and an experimental group (n=35). For the experimental group, the evaluator could not be seen during their access to the scenario; for the control group, the presence of the evaluator was visible. To compare the groups, the chi-square test was used for categorical variables, ANOVA for intragroup differences, and Student’s t for independent samples for intergroup analysis. Results: there was an increase in the means of the theoretical test (<0.001) between the pre-test and post-test, in both groups. In the evaluation of the students’ skills in basic life support, there was no significant difference between the groups (p=0.455). Conclusion: there was retention of theoretical knowledge and skills in both groups, regardless of the presence of the evaluator. Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry: RBR-8tvzdr7.