Use of Simulation in Nursing Education: A Systematic Review

Aim: This systematic review is planned to investigate systematically the studies that evaluated the results of the use of simulation in nursing education.

Method: The population of this study is consisted of 545 articles from accessed by searching on “CINAHL Plus”, “Medline”,” Health Source: Nurse / Academic Edition” and “Google Scholar” databases and “Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissestations” sources in dates between April a July 2013. In this review, the articles were selected as full text by searching with “simulation”, “nursing education” and “simulation in nursing” key words and they were published in English and Turkish languages in the last decade (April 2003-July 2013).Total 15 studies of these articles that meet the research’s criteria have occurred the sample of the review.

Results: Systematic review of the studies that evaluated simulation in nursing education were divided into two groups as studies that are evaluating the knowledge-skills and critical thinking-clinical decision making. In this review, experimental, quasiexperimental and descriptive-correlational research designs were used often for the studies. In the seven researches, simulation training have been identifi ed to be effective in gaining of nursing knowledge and skills. Also, in ten studies, were determined an increase the level of student’s critical thinking, self-effi cacy and self-confi dence, after training with simulation.

Conclusion: The simulation in nursing education, is observed a learning method is contributing to the development critical thinking, self effi cacy and self confi dence besides gaining knowledge and skills to students.