The effects of a home-visit nursing simulation for older people with dementia on nursing students' communication skills, self-efficacy, and critical thinking propensity: Quantitative research

Abstract

Background: Simulation-based learning is an educational method in community nursing to train the skills required to interact with a variety of patients in the community.

Objectives: This study examined the effects of simulation-based learning on home-visit nursing for older people with dementia by evaluating nursing students' communication skills, self-efficacy, and critical thinking propensity.

Design: This is a quasi-experimental study using a single-group pretest-posttest design.

Participants: Participants were 69 fourth-year students of the Department of Nursing at a university in K city, South Korea.

Method: Data were collected from October 25 to November 10, 2021 at the beginning and after classes using a questionnaire on students' communication skills, self-efficacy, and critical thinking propensity. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Pearson's correlation coefficients using SPSS WIN 26.0.

Results: Nursing students' communication skills, self-efficacy, and critical thinking propensity showed a significant improvement after education when compared with before teaching. There was a positive relationship between communication skills and self-efficacy, communication skills and critical thinking propensity, and self-efficacy and critical thinking propensity.

Conclusion: This study confirmed that providing simulation education similar to that delivered in community nursing can improve nursing students' communication skills, self-efficacy, and critical thinking propensity. The results of this study can be used as primary data for efficiently conducting education using nursing visit simulations for dementia patients.

Keywords: Communication; Community health nursing; Dementia; Home health nursing; Nursing; Self efficacy; Simulation training; Thinking.