Effectiveness of role-play in hazard prediction training for nursing students: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: Patient safety education in nursing education is a matter of worldwide concern. Various simulation training has been introduced into patient safety education. It is difficult for nursing students to fully understand the situation of scenarios in simulation training. Having attempted to solve the problem, educators have used the illustrations, videos and manikins. Role-play is widely used in simulation training in nursing education. As to patient safety education, few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported the effectiveness of role-play compared with traditional situational presentation methods such as illustrations and videos. Therefore, we performed an RCT to examine the effectiveness of role-play compared with illustrations using hazard prediction training (Kiken-Yochi-Training; KYT) which is one of simulation training widely used in Japan.

Methods: The participants were 94 second-year nursing students. All students were randomly allocated to a role-play group (R-group) or an illustrations group (I-group). Participants were asked to complete the risk sensitivity scale for nursing students before and after KYT. After KYT, all participants were asked to undergo a hazard prediction test. Linear mixed models were used to examine differences in the scale scores within and between intervention groups.

Results: Participants in the R-group had a significantly higher number of hazard prediction points than those in the I-group (R-group: 2.50 ± 1.07, I-group: 1.77 ± 0.95, p = .001). Scores were significantly increased on the risk sensitivity scale for nursing students in both groups, while no significant differences were seen in score increments between the groups.

Conclusions: The results of our randomized study showed that effectiveness of role-play in hazard prediction training in university-based nursing education. Our study also suggested KYT increased risk sensitivity among nursing students, and that this effect was not affected by the situation presentation method, role-play or illustration.