Creating an Asynchronous Telehealth Simulation for Advance Nursing Practice Students

Abstract

The ongoing use of telehealth services following the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates its sustainability and how our health care system is transforming. To increase student learning, an asynchronous telehealth simulation as a learning strategy in an online advanced pharmacology course was developed. This innovative strategy allowed students to practice clinical decision-making and collaboration skills electronically to prepare them for the increased use of telehealth medicine. Integrating a prerecorded simulation-based experience using a web-based teleconference tool and embedding it within the Learning Management System is a simple, sustainable model for nursing faculty and students with various levels of technology proficiency.

Digital Health Education and Training for Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Students: Scoping Review

“…Of note, interventions focused on telehealth education were mostly delivered without situating this knowledge or skills within the broader digital health or NI context, despite some studies indicating the increased use of technology in the context of nursing practice. In addition, some of these studies were implemented or developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic [ 43 - 45 , 47 - 49 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 57 - 59 , 71 , 83 , 84 ].…”

“…Most studies (32/38, 84%) enhanced the intervention design by incorporating theoretical and pedagogical frameworks such as Bandura’s self-efficacy theory [ 66 , 70 ]; Kolb’s Cycle of Experiential Learning [ 49 , 72 ]; Ericsson’s and Smith Expertise theory [ 68 ]; the Ottawa Model for Research [ 71 ]; the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle [ 66 ]; the Technology Acceptance Model [ 60 ]; Roy’s Adaptation Model [ 59 ]; problem-based learning [ 62 ], Bloom’s Taxonomy [ 66 , 91 ]; Adult Learning Theories [ 89 ]; Nursing Education Healthcare Informatics Framework [ 92 ]; Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform Competencies [ 92 ]; and professional standards and competencies, telehealth competencies, and best practices for simulation-based research [ 43 - 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 - 53 , 55 - 59 , 61 , 63 - 65 , 67 , 72 , 83 , 84 , 91 ].…”

“…Other students experienced telehealth during a clinical rotation [44] or as part of a clinical experience [67]. Telehealth education was delivered utilizing a variety of educational modalities or strategies including: didactic education (online modules and lectures, reading materials, videos, narrated lectures, self-directed modules) with simulation scenarios and standardized patients [41][42][43]45,47,49,50,53,55,56,[60][61][62][65][66][67][68]70]; asynchronous and synchronous simulation using teleconferencing tools and interactivities with or without didactic education [49,50,56,57,61,63,69]; telehealth self-paced learning with discussion [46]; guest speaker lectures with self-paced modules, lectures, and video conferencing demos [64,123]; simulation with a telehealth robot with an iPad and or a telehealth cart [52,53,62]; simulation with students acting as patients or providers [52,53,56,58]; telehealth as a clinical rotation [44,70]; telehealth OSCEs and clinical exams [45,61,63...…”

“…Researchers designed the interventional studies using different methods including mixed methods [41,53], pre/post design [69], descriptive design [52], quasi-experimental design [42,48], formative and summative evaluation introduced as educational activities [43,46,49,51],…”

“…Most studies in all the interventions reported below enhanced the intervention design by incorporating theoretical and pedagogical frameworks such as Bandura's self-efficacy theory [64,68], Kolb's Cycle of Experiential Learning [47,70], Ericsson's and Smith Expertise theory[66], the Ottawa Model for Research[69], the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle[64], the Technology Acceptance Model[58], Roy's Adaptation Model[57], Problem-based Learning[60], Bloom's Taxonomy[64,89], Adult Learning Theories[87], Nursing Education Healthcare Informatics Framework (NEHI)[90], Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) Competencies[90], and/or professional standards and competencies, telehealth competencies, and best practices for simulation-based research[41-43,45,47,49-51,53-57,59,61- 63,65,70,81,82,89].Interventions Focused on Telehealth Education. Integration was mostly as a stand-alone intervention, a good number of studies reported integration as part of an existing theory or clinical course[42,43,45,46,48,49,51,[59][60][61]64,66,70]; theory courses included health policy, role transition course, advanced health assessment course, and Bio-physical and Integrated Clinical Diagnosis course. Of note, only a few studies engaged students in their final clinical…”