Nursing Students’ Evaluation about Clinical Simulation in Three Latin-American Universities

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical simulation, fundamental in professional nursing education, has been attributed several advantages over other methodologies. It is important to know how this methodology is evaluated by students.

Objective: To analyze nursing students' evaluation regarding the simulation methodology in three Latin-American universities.

Methods: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out. The population consisted of the Nursing major students from three universities from Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. The sample, of a purposive nature, included students enrolled in simulation programs. The research was carried out in the cities of Mendoza, La Paz and Santiago. The used instrument was validated by expert judgment and evaluated the degree of agreement or disagreement through 34 statements, using a Likert-type scale.

Results: A total of 221 students participated: 72 (32.58 %) from Argentina, 34 (15.38 %) from Bolivia and 115 from Chile (52.04 %). The total mean score for the instrument was 4.47 ± 0.19, considering the three countries. The mean was analyzed according to each country:  Argentina was 4.38 ± 0.32, Bolivia was 4.68 ± 0.22 and Chile was 4.04 ± 0.17. Reliability was high (0.94). The Kruskal–Wallis test was performed and no difference was found between the sample by countries.

Conclusions: The instrument proved to be valid and reliable. The highest rated items were related to simulation’s capacity to strengthen professional development. The lowest rated aspect corresponded to a deficit of interprofessional simulations.