Multiple-Patient Simulations and Student Outcomes in Prelicensure Nursing Education: An Integrative Review

Background: Prelicensure nursing students generally provide care for only one or two patients within the clinical setting. This model does not allow students to develop the essential leadership skills of prioritization, delegation, critical thinking/clinical reasoning, and interprofessional collaboration and communication. Simulation offers an ideal opportunity for nursing students to manage multiple-patient assignments in a safe space. The purpose of this integrative review was to present the current state of the science related to prelicensure nursing student outcomes associated with multiple-patient simulation. Methods: Database searches of CINAHL, PubMed, Emcare, and Scopus identified 298 articles for review. Results: Eleven articles (six quantitative, four mixed-methods, and one qualitative) were isolated for inclusion in this integrative review. Conclusion: There is limited robust research exploring prelicensure nursing students' outcomes related to multiple-patient simulation. While current evidence suggests that multiple-patient simulations may increase students' confidence and competence in some aspects of managing multiple-patient assignments, the findings are generally disparate and not generalizable. More research is warranted to provide support for evidence-based teaching related to multiple-patient simulations in prelicensure nursing education.

Automated summary

This integrative review examines the current state of research on prelicensure nursing student outcomes in multiple-patient simulation. The findings are limited and inconclusive, highlighting the need for further research to support evidence-based teaching in prelicensure nursing education.