Currently submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Nov 27, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Nov 28, 2024 - Jan 23, 2025
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Effectiveness of a virtual simulation to train nursing students in suicide risk assessment: a randomized-controlled investigation
ABSTRACT
Background:
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Nurses play a critical role in suicide prevention, yet face significant obstacles. Improving the evaluation and management of patients at risk of suicide requires innovative training techniques that safely and effectively enhance nursing students’ skills, knowledge, and confidence. Virtual simulation (VS) based training can be particularly effective because it allows interaction with patients without the risk of causing harm.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the pedagogical effectiveness of a novel VS tool featuring an autonomous and emotionally reactive virtual patient in improving nursing students' ability in suicide risk assessment and intervention.
Methods:
A randomized controlled intervention was conducted with 68 first-year nursing students divided into a control group receiving teaching as usual (TAU) and an intervention group receiving TAU plus VS. Outcomes were measured using Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation Model, which focuses on knowledge, skills, confidence, empathy, and satisfaction.
Results:
The VS group showed significantly higher confidence (p = 0.006) and a marginally better ability to respond appropriately to suicidal thoughts (p = 0.076) than the control group. However, there were no significant differences in knowledge acquisition or the general level of empathy. Satisfaction with VS was high, particularly concerning the authenticity of the virtual patient. Authenticity was perceived as higher when emotional prosody was included with facial emotions.
Conclusions:
The use of VS showed promising results in improving nursing students' confidence and skills in detecting and counseling individuals experiencing a suicide crisis, suggesting its incorporation into routine teaching methods. Further research is needed to explore its long-term benefits for students and its impact on patient outcomes. Further development may also include more highly automated, dynamic, and flexible emotional reactions of the virtual patient.
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