Student nurses' anxiety and the management of simulated patient deterioration

The aim of this study is to explore the association of state and trait anxiety, physiological stress and nurses decision-making performance during simulated patient deterioration. Additionally, the mediating effects of decision-making style will be assessed.

Methods

A descriptive quantitative study will be conducted with 100 students volunteering to participate both from the second and third year cohorts of the Nursing BSc (Hons) using a pre–post simulation design.

Psychological and physiological stress will be measured before and after the simulation. Additionally, physiological stress will measured during the simulation. An expert panel of judges will be used to measure simulation performance from a video footage taking during the simulation. It is expected that

1. there will be an increase in anxiety experienced during the simulation
2. rumination and reinvestment decision-making styles will interact with task knowledge to predict task performance.

The pilot data collected here will be used to apply for funding to support a larger project that aims to

1. understand how anxiety effects nursing performance, and how expertise may (by increasing resources to be allocated to the task) or may not (because of decision-making styles and personality traits)
2. improve simulator training to reduce these negative effects and
3. maximize transfer of training from simulators to the real world environment.