Does prior exposure to clinical critical events influence stress reactions to simulation session in nursing students: A case-control study. (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Couarraze, Sébastien; Saint-Jean, Michèle; Marhar, Fouad; Carneiro, Jean-Marc; Siksik, Georges; Weider, André; Kurrek, Matt M.; Rey, Thierry; Houze-Cerfon, Charles-Henri; LeBlanc, Vicki; Geeraerts, Thomas
• Is Part Of: Nurse education today. Volume 99(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: Simulation training -- Stress -- Nursing student -- Critical care; Nursing -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Education, Nursing -- Periodicals; Soins infirmiers -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; Nursing -- Study and teaching; Periodicals; 610.7307
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104792
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0260-6917

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Simulation is a pedagogical method known to be a generator of stress, that could be influenced by previous stressful experiences. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of previous experience with a clinical critical event on the stress experienced by nursing students during simulation session of critical events, and on the stress experienced during clinical critical events subsequent to the training. Design: Observational case-control study. Settings: Four critical event scenarios were created using full-scale simulation. Participants: Two hundred and fifteen undergraduate nursing students of semester four. The control group (n = 112) consisted of learners who had not previously experienced a critical event. The prior exposure group (n = 103) consisted of learners who had experienced a critical event prior to the course. Methods: Stress levels were assessed using the self-report stress numerical rating scale-11. Results: There was no significant difference in the level of stress between the prior exposure group and the control group before, during or expected after the simulation session. A significant decrease in stress was observed in both groups from before the course to during the session (p < 0.05) and expected after the session (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the expected post-session stress level and the stress levels reported four months after the training (p = 0.966). At four months, there was no significant difference in stress levels between the groups (p = 0.212). Conclusions: The prior experience of a clinical critical event before a simulation course did not influence their reported stress level during the simulation session. Conversely, simulation-based training of critical situations appears to reduce the level of self-assessed stress during critical events in clinical practice after the training.