The Effect of Virtual Patient Simulation on Nursing Students’ Clinical Decision Making and Problem-Solving Skills

INTRODUCTION: Clinical decision making is an essential part of the nursing process adopted by nurses and nursing students as a problem-solving approach. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual patient simulation on fourth-year nursing students’ clinical decision-making and problem-solving skills.
METHODS: The study was designed as quasi experimental research and included 73 fourth-year nursing students. The study was conducted between December 2018 and May 2019. Sociode-mographic data form, Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale, and Problem-Solving Inventory were used to collect the data. After the pretest, the students undertook virtual patient simulation. Subsequently, the post-test was administered.
RESULTS: Mean age was 22.06±0.34 years, and 93.2% of the participants were female. The mean pretest score for problem-solving skills was 110.68 ± 13.57, and the mean post-test score was 108.66 ± 18.41, and no significant difference was established between the 2 scores (P >.05). In addition, the mean pretest score for clinical decision-making skills was 153.94 ± 12.57, and the mean post-test score was 152.71 ± 13.36, and no significant difference was found between the 2 scores (P >.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results indicated that virtual patient simulation does not affect fourth-year nursing students’ clinical decision-making and problem-solving skills.