Effects of flipped-learning-based simulation for nursing students: a retrospective survey

Abstract

This study analysed whether Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) simulation, which uses a flipped learning method, improves undergraduate nursing students' academic performance and core competencies when applied in the mental health nursing practicum, as compared with traditional in-person simulations. To this end, a retrospective survey was employed. A group of 37 students who participated in the flipped learning-based SBAR simulation practicum was compared with a group of 37 students who participated in the practicum using a traditional learning method, in terms of their academic performance and core competencies. The 90-h practicum included four three-hour SBAR simulation sessions. Students were assessed at baseline, immediately after the two-week practicum, and four weeks later. The effects of group, time, and group-by-time interactions between the groups were verified using generalized estimating equations with an autoregressive correlation structure. Data were collected between March and July 2017, in South Korea. The results indicated that SBAR simulation significantly improved nursing students' communication performance compared with the traditional learning method. The clinical practicum based on SBAR improved core competencies at the post-practicum and four weeks later. In conclusion, the application of the flipped learning-based SBAR simulation can improve nursing students' communication skills and can be utilized as an effective teaching method to promote higher order competencies to apply, analyse, and evaluate knowledge beyond simple understanding and information recall. This study has addressed how academic performance and core competencies in nursing can be improved through SBAR simulation using a flipped learning method and shown its positive impact on nursing students' communication skills and higher order competencies.