The Changes of Nursing Students’ Assessment Skills at a Simulated Setting: A Quasi Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Structured and comprehensive assessment is critical to identify physical and psychological problems and concerns experienced by patients. Simulation can be used for training students’ health assessment skills as well as communication skills. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to determine how students’ health assessment skills changed in a simulated setting. Method: A quasi experimental study with one group repeated-measures design was conducted with a purposive sampling of 85 baccalaureate nursing students at one nursing school in Macao. Two qualified tutors evaluated students’ health assessment skills in terms of introduction and patient identification, symptom assessment, physical examination, patient education, history inquire and communication using the same criteria in each simulation session. Results: The overall score of students’ health assessment skills increased from the first session to the last session. Second-year students achieved higher overall scores of assessment skills than third-year students in some simulated scenarios significantly even though they had less clinical practice experience. Conclusions: Simulation using a human patient simulator helped students to transform knowledge and skills to assess patient condition. Tutors should promote students’ intrinsic motivation for learning, develop their potential and encourage them to keep their efforts in learning.