The experiences of last-year student midwives with High-Fidelity Perinatal Simulation training: A qualitative descriptive study

Augmented reality simulation-based training for midwifery students and its impact on perceived knowledge, confidence and skills for managing critical incidents

PROBLEM

Emergency obstetric management is essential in midwifery training to prevent fetal and maternal morbidity. Repeating this management in practice is often not possible. Sustainable confidence in these procedures is usually achieved in the first few years of practice.

BACKGROUND

Simulation training complements hands-on learning and improves practical skills, benefiting both students and patients. Research on obstetric emergency simulation training have demonstrated this, but the use of digital simulation approaches, such as augmented reality (AR), is under-researched.

AIM

To investigate whether AR simulation training influences midwifery students' subjective perceptions of knowledge, confidence and practical skills in emergency situations.

METHODS

A descriptive exploratory study was conducted using a pre-post design. AR scenarios were developed on the topics of 'preparing emergency tocolysis', 'preparing a pregnant woman for caesarean section' and 'resuscitation of newborns'. The AR simulation was conducted in the fourth to fifth semester of the midwifery programme. A questionnaire was developed for students (N = 133) to self-assess their competence in the categories of knowledge, confidence and practical skills.

RESULTS

Students rated their competence significantly better in the post-survey than in the pre-survey (p=<0.05). Simulation has an impact on self-assessment of professional knowledge, confidence and practical skills in emergency situations. It enhances students' procedural knowledge and practical skills in complex contexts, complements subject knowledge and builds confidence.

CONCLUSION

The results provide initial evidence that AR simulation is an effective learning strategy for emergency management preparedness. Future studies should validate the effect with control cohorts and measure competence through practical examinations.

Barriers and facilitators to guideline for the management of pediatric off-label use of drugs in China: a qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Despite being a global public health concern, there is a research gap in analyzing implementation strategies for managing off-label drug use in children. This study aims to understand professional health managers' perspectives on implementing the Guideline in hospitals and determine the Guideline's implementation facilitators and barriers.

METHODS

Pediatric directors, pharmacy directors, and medical department directors from secondary and tertiary hospitals across the country were recruited for online interviews. The interviews were performed between June 27 and August 25, 2022. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was adopted for data collection, data analysis, and findings interpretation to implement interventions across healthcare settings.

RESULTS

Individual interviews were conducted with 28 healthcare professionals from all over the Chinese mainland. Key stakeholders in implementing the Guideline for the Management of Pediatric Off-Label Use of Drugs in China (2021) were interviewed to identify 57 influencing factors, including 27 facilitators, 29 barriers, and one neutral factor, based on the CFIR framework. The study revealed the complexity of the factors influencing managing children's off-label medication use. A lack of policy incentives was the key obstacle in external settings. The communication barrier between pharmacists and physicians was the most critical internal barrier.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this study significantly reduces the implementation gap in managing children's off-label drug use. We provided a reference for the standardized management of children's off-label use of drugs.

Evaluation of the simulation based training quality assurance tool (SBT-QA10) as a measure of learners' perceptions during the action phase of simulation

BACKGROUND

In an earlier interview-based study the authors identified that learners experience one or more of eight explicit perceptual responses during the active phase of simulation-based training (SBT) comprising a sense: of belonging to instructor and group, of being under surveillance, of having autonomy and responsibility for patient management, of realism, of an understanding of the scenario in context, of conscious mental effort, of control of attention, and of engagement with task. These were adapted into a ten-item questionnaire: the Simulation Based Training Quality Assurance Tool (SBT-QA10) to allow monitoring of modifiable factors that may impact upon learners' experiences. This study assessed the construct validity evidence of the interpretation of the results when using SBT-QAT10.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Recently graduated doctors and nurses participating in a SBT course on the topic of the deteriorating patient completed the SBT-QAT10 immediately following their participation in the scenarios. The primary outcome measure was internal consistency of the questionnaire items and their correlation to learners' satisfaction scores. A secondary outcome measure compared the impact of allocation to active versus observer role.

RESULTS

A total of 349 questionnaires were returned by 96 course learners. The median of the total score for the ten perception items (TPS) was 39 (out of 50), with no significant difference between the scenarios. We identified fair and positive correlations between nine of the 10 items and the SBT-QA10-TPS, the exception being "mental effort". Compared to observers, active learners reported significantly more positive perceptions related to belonging to the team and interaction with the instructor, their sense of acting independently, and being focused. The questionnaire items were poorly correlated with the two measures of global satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Except for the item for mental effort, the QA10-TPS measures learners' experiences during the active phase of simulation scenarios that are associated with a positive learning experience. The tool may have utility to learners, instructors, and course providers by informing subsequent debriefing and reflection upon practice for learners and faculty. The relationship between these perceptions and commonly used measures of satisfaction remains poorly understood raising questions about the value of the latter.

Nursing students' attitudes regarding euthanasia due to unbearable mental suffering: Cross-sectional study using the adapted and validated Euthanasia Attitude Scale

AIM

To explore final year nursing students' attitudes towards euthanasia due to unbearable mental suffering by using the adapted and validated Euthanasia Attitude Scale.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

Explorative, descriptive cross-sectional study conducted using an e-mail survey between October 2020 and March 2021 by a sample of final-year baccalaureate nursing students (n = 273) from eight of the eleven Flemish university colleges. The actual questionnaire contains 21 questions and was developed based on a consensus reached following independent translations. The psychometric properties of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale were assessed, including reliability and validity. Independent-sample Mann-Whitney U-test was used to investigate relation between demographic and education-related data, and domain and total score of the UMS-EAS-NL. This study received ethical approval from the Ethical Committee of the University Hospital Brussels, Belgium.

RESULTS

McDonald's omega was 0.838 for the total Euthanasia Attitude Scale scores, supporting the validity of the questionnaire. A statistically significant difference in 'Naturalistic beliefs' score was found relating to the year of birth. There are clinically important results between those students who have been involved in euthanasia and those who have not.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the final-year nursing students supported the probability of patients' access to euthanasia due to unbearable mental suffering. To monitor adequate care, it is necessary to prepare nursing students adequately for this complex matter.

IMPACT

To date, no large-scale study has examined nursing students' attitudes towards euthanasia because of unbearable mental suffering. It is expected that nursing students may be confronted with such a euthanasia request during an internship, or later in their professional career, in countries where euthanasia is legal. Students showed a high acceptability towards UMS-euthanasia. Clinically significant differences were found for students who had ever been involved in euthanasia.

Factors that enhance midwifery students' learning and development of self-efficacy in clinical placement: A systematic qualitative review

AIM

To conduct a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies to explore the significant factors that enhance midwifery students' learning experiences and development of self-efficacy in clinical placement.

BACKGROUND

Midwifery education programs leading to registration as a midwife require students to achieve academic, clinical, and professional competence. Clinical placement comprises a significant part of the program as students work and are assessed under the direct supervision of the Registered Midwife or preceptor. This learning and teaching partnership aims to enable the transfer of knowledge, skills, and behavior, i.e., competence, while providing the opportunity for students to become socialized into the midwifery practice culture. Against this background, characterized by the shortage of midwives, declining fertility rates, and a stressful environment, students learn to become a midwife and develop self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in one's ability to master challenges, which is described as a component in learning theories. There seems to be a need to identify factors that contribute to this development.

DESIGN

A qualitative systematic literature review.

METHOD

A systematic database search was conducted to identify primary peer reviewed qualitative literature published between 2000 and 2021 that has explored what enhances midwifery students' learning during their clinical placement. The databases searched included CINAHL (EBSCO), Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), JBI Joanna Briggs Institute (Ovid), SveMed+ , and Web of Science. The search yielded a total of 354 results, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria. The relevant findings from the 22 studies were thematically analyzed and presented in the results.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed two descriptive themes - 'A nurturing relationship' and 'Predictability in the learning process, contextual factors. In addition, one analytic theme emerged - 'Gaining access to and belonging in an enabling educational and working culture'.

CONCLUSION

The relationship with the preceptor is a prerequisite for midwife students learning process and achievement of self-efficacy. A learning culture appears to be the fertile ground in which midwife students thrive and where they develop the self-efficacy needed to meet the demands of clinical placement.

Using Simulation to Help Health Professions Students Learn to Talk to Clients About Suicide

Background:Because of the high prevalence of suicide, health-care professions students need training in recognition of clients’ suicidal thoughts, assessment of suicide risk, and specific narrative techniques. This study explores health-care professions students’ perceptions of and feedback on a simulation module on suicidal behavior.Methods:Thematic analysis was conducted on feedback from group interviews with participants.Results:Students valued the reassuring effect of a best practice video. The sense of reality in the simulation scenarios was highly appreciated. Although being filmed was stressful for some students, reviewing and discussing key moments in the recordings appeared a major advantage. Debriefing was essential to discuss and emotionally discharge the experiences of role players and observers.Conclusions:Simulation training for caregivers on suicidal behavior can be designed and evaluated on other mental health topics as well.

Simulations as a mode of clinical training in healthcare professions: A scoping review to guide planning in speech-language pathology and audiology during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Background

Simulation plays an important role as an alternative method for training of students, particularly in health education. As a result of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions of face-to-face interactions, traditional teaching methods have been disrupted, increasing the need for alternative methods to supplement modes of student clinical training in healthcare programmes.

Objectives

The scoping review aimed to determine what has been documented about simulation as a mode of clinical training in healthcare professions (HCPs) in order to guide speech-language pathology and audiology (SLP&A) professions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Method

A scoping review was conducted. Electronic bibliographic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus MEDLINE, ProQuest, Google Scholar and WorldCat were searched to identify peer reviewed publications, published in English, between January 2011 and December 2021, and related to the use of simulation in HCPs clinical training programmes.

Results

A total of 32 articles met the inclusion criteria for this scoping review. Three themes emerged when reviewing the studies: (1) face-to-face simulations as a mode of clinical training, (2) virtual reality simulation and telesimulation as modes of clinical training and (3) simulation as a complementary mode of clinical training. Evidence suggests that whilst simulations are cost-effective, accessible and efficacious as clinical training modes, they need to be combined with other modes of training such as the traditional clinical training to yield better learning outcomes.

Conclusions

Current findings highlight the role and value of simulation as a clinical training mode during COVID-19 and beyond. However, there are aspects that need to be considered to ensure that this mode of clinical training is effective, with endorsement and regulations by the SLP&A Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Simulations need to be complemented with traditional clinical training methods. In the context of SLP&A, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), simulation can be used to better prepare students for their clinical placement where clinical training platforms are limited and where simulation combined with teletraining or telesupervision can be utilised to increase access to training.

Effectiveness of structured education and training in perineal wound assessment and repair for midwives and midwifery students: A review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Perineal trauma is a commonly observed complication of childbirth, affecting more than 75% of women who have a vaginal birth. Perineal trauma is associated with significant short- and long-term comorbidities that negatively impact women's quality of life. Severe perineal trauma (SPT) rates in Australia have almost doubled in the last decade. Reasons for increased rates are not completely understood; some researchers suggest improvements in diagnosis and reporting, while others have a view that it may be due to a lack of structured and standardized education in perineal wound assessment and repair for clinicians.

METHODS

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology was adopted as a systemic process to identify studies that have investigated the effectiveness of perineal wound assessment and repair education and training for midwives and midwifery students.

RESULTS

Five studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, to have evaluated a type of education or training, on childbirth-related perineal wound assessment and repair that included midwives and midwifery students. A total of 1279 midwives and midwifery students volunteered to participate in all five studies. The length of the education or training implemented varied between each study from a 1-day workshop to 100 hours of education. All five studies measured the effectiveness of each program through changes in participants' confidence, knowledge and skills in perineal assessment and repair before and after an intervention using various self-assessment questionnaires.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of a structured educational workshop on perineal wound assessment and repair improves the confidence, skills and knowledge of midwives and students.

Midwifery students' satisfaction with perinatal simulation-based training

BACKGROUND

Simulation-based training has proved to be an effective teaching and learning approach in healthcare. Nevertheless, any assessment of its effectiveness should also take the students' perspective into account.

AIM

To validate the Satisfaction with Simulation Experience Scale (SSES) for use with midwifery students and evaluate midwifery students' satisfaction with perinatal simulation-based training.

METHODS

Satisfaction with simulation was assessed using the SSES, a measurement tool translated from English to Dutch. Data was collected in four consecutive years (2016-19). A mixed methods design was used to capture both qualitative and quantitative data. Using the quantitative data, factor analysis was performed to assess the construct validity, while Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency. Qualitative data was assessed using thematic content analysis.

FINDINGS

367 SSES questionnaires were completed by 251 students. The exploratory factor analysis resulted in a three-factor model covering debriefing and reflection, clinical reasoning and clinical learning. Cronbach's alpha showed good internal consistency. Students were very satisfied with perinatal simulation-based training for all three factors: 4.30 (SD=0.47) for debriefing and reflection, 3.97 (SD=0.55) for clinical reasoning and 4.10 (SD=0.46) for clinical learning. Satisfaction scores remained high and stable over the years investigated. Thematic content analysis identified 6 categories: simulation-based training is valuable, the need for more simulation-based training, fidelity, students, negative feelings, and preparation is vital.

CONCLUSION

Students were satisfied with the simulation-based training, experiencing it as providing added value to their education. Simulations gave them the opportunity to make and learn from mistakes in a safe learning environment.

Barriers and Facilitators to Effective Procedural Pain Treatments for Pediatric Patients in the Chinese Context: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

PURPOSE

To explore nurse and physician leaders' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to using evidence-based procedural pain treatments (i.e., sweet solutions, breastfeeding, and topical anesthetics) for hospitalized infants and children in the Chinese context.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted at three pediatric inpatient surgical units in one hospital in China. Purposive sampling was used to recruit nurse/physician leaders who were engaged in the clinical management of the 3 units. Data collection included a focus group and individual interviews. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to guide the analysis of the data.

RESULTS

Ten participants attended the focus group and 13 took part in individual interviews. The findings highlight 41 implementation determinants, including two neutral influencing factors, 22 barriers, and 17 facilitators. These influencing factors aligned with the four CFIR domains and 25 of the 29 CFIR constructs. Common barriers to using evidence-based pain treatments across different contexts were identified, such as health care professionals' limited knowledge and misconceptions on pediatric pain management, no specific policies, low priority, heavy workload, staff shortage, and limited time. Unique determinants in the Chinese context were also identified, including parents' concerns of these new interventions, parent wrath, hierarchical managerial system, and lower authority of nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple barriers as well as facilitators to using evidence-based pain management strategies were identified.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The findings inform further development of implementation strategies and could be used as baseline data for comparing the barriers and facilitators evaluated during and after implementation.

Perspectives on the Process of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy at Home in Patients With Chronic Wound: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) at home among Chinese chronic wound patients. Qualitative descriptive study design was adopted, and qualitative data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews. A purposive, sampling method was used. Informants were recruited from one single wound healing center of a teaching hospital and were interviewed following one course of NPWT at home. A thematic content analysis was undertaken in the framework of input-process-output theory to guide analysis. Of the 13 participants interviewed, 9 were female and 4 were male with an age ranging from 20 to 69 years. Two major categories with their corresponding codes were identified. The first, positive experience, had 6 codes: high-degree identity and feeling hope (input); easy operation and convenience (process); improvement of symptoms and effective treatment (output). The second category, negative experience, had 11 codes: high expenditure, defects of the NPWT device, health education deficiency, and lack of independence and rationales in making decision of NPWT (input); poor communication with wound professionals, unexpected circumstances, therapeutic side effects, and a change of self-image (process); impact on physical symptoms and daily life, impact on social activities, and impact on psychological well-being (output). Patients considered the NPWT at home as a promising regimen, but they also had a feeling of not being prepared and lack of health education to make medical decision independently. The participants' perceptions and experiences would provide valuable information to promote the intervention program of health education and advance service process optimization.