Does preclinical first-time simulation-based arterial blood pressure training increase psychomotor skills in nursing students?

Abstract

Background: Blood pressure (BP) measurement, which is frequently used in clinical practice and is known to have a significant place in determining the patient’s clinical picture, is performed by nurses.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effect of providing arterial BP instruction via simulation on the nursing students’ psychomotor skill levels.
Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted with a single-group pretest-posttest design between September and December 2019 at the Faculty of Nursing of a university to examine the effect of teaching with a simulator on students’ psychomotor skill levels, self-esteem and satisfaction. After signing the informed consent form, students who agreed to participate in the study were asked to fill in the Individual Information Form and Arterial BP Academic Achievement Test. The Arterial BP Academic Achievement Test (pretest) and Arterial BP Measurement Skill Performance Test (pretest) were administered to students after traditional BP training. After the initial demonstration, students were allowed to repeat this procedure on the virtual simulator for 21 days. After 21 days, students were evaluated using the Arterial BP Academic Achievement Test (posttest), Arterial BP Measurement Skill Performance Test (posttest) and Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale.
Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the pretest and posttest scores of the Arterial BP Measurement Achievement Test (p > 0.005); however, the mean posttest score of the Arterial BP Measurement Skill Performance Test was found to be statistically significantly higher than the mean pretest score (p < 0.001). A significant difference was found in students’ self-confidence and satisfaction mean score regarding using simulators (Z = −0.720, p = 0.472).
Conclusion: Simulation-based arterial blood pressure training is recommended for nursing students to gain psychomotor skills in preclinical blood pressure teaching for the first time.