Peer Collaborative Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Simulation: A Theoretical Framework

Abstract

Background: Collaboration and decision making among nursing students are essential competencies in nursing education. However, how students collaborate and make decisions in simulation is a complex phenomenon and not well understood. This study aimed to develop a framework that describes peer collaborative clinical decision making (PCCDM) among nursing students in simulation. Method: Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory method was used. The sample included 32 participants (16 dyads) from two nursing programs. Results: The PCCDM framework described three interrelated functional domains (cognition, behavior, and emotion) experienced through three interrelated processes (awareness, communication, and regulation), alternating between individual and collaborative spaces and changing across time according to the simulation's acuity levels. Conclusion: The PCCDM framework provides a model that reflects how these processes unfold over time in simulations, which can be applied in nursing simulation, classroom, and clinical settings that require students to make collaborative decisions. [ J Nurs Educ . 2024;63(7):435–443.]