A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Simulated Patient Encounters in Developing Communication Skills among Nursing Students in a Selected College, Bengaluru

Abstract

Background
Communication is the exchange of information and meaning through shared symbols, serving as a vital foundation for human relationships and nursing. Simulation supports this by modeling real-world scenarios using either real or dramatized methods to facilitate education, preparation, and problem-solving.
Objectives
1. To evaluate the effectiveness of simulated patient encounters in developing communication skills among nursing students.
2. To determine the association between pre-test communication skills scores among nursing students and their selected sample characteristics.
Methodology
A pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test evaluative research study was conducted in the seminar hall and the institute's nursing foundation lab. A sample of 40 nursing students was selected using the convenience sampling technique. Data was collected through scenario demonstrations of admission procedures, history collection, and vital signs assessment before and after the simulation. The participants' communication skills were also assessed using a rubric scale. Role play of 17-minute duration was used to simulate scenarios for the participants. The collected data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. After that, the computed results were presented in tables and graphs.
Result And Interpretation
Pre-test assessments showed 77.5% of nursing students had below-average communication skills (mean 12.3 ± 2.785). Following simulated encounters, 70% achieved excellent skills, with the mean score rising to 29.55 ± 2.189. The significant mean enhancement of 17.25 (t = 42.5, p < 0.001) confirmed the effectiveness of the intervention (H1), while no significant associations were found between communication scores and baseline variables (H2).
Conclusion
The study findings revealed that most nursing students improved their communication skills after administering simulated patient encounters. Thus, the study concluded that simulation was influential in developing nursing students' communication skills.