Effects of high-fidelity simulation education on medical students’ anxiety and confidence

Abstract

Introduction Psychological factors such as anxiety and confidence that students have in the patient care situation are important in that this affects the actual clinical performance. Students who are just starting clinical practice have a lack of clinical knowledge, skill proficiency, and patient communication skills, so they experience anxiety and lack of confidence in clinical setting. Practice in a safe environment, such as simulation education, can help students perform more settled and competently in patient care. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of high-fidelity simulation experience on anxiety and confidence in medical students. Materials and methods This study enrolled 37 5th-year students at Ajou University School of Medicine in 2020. Two simulation trainings were implemented, and a survey was conducted to measure students’ level of anxiety and confidence before and after each simulation. Based on the research data, a paired t-test was conducted to compare these variables before and after the simulation, and whether this was their first or second simulation experience. Results Students had a significantly lower level of anxiety and a significantly higher level of confidence after the simulation than before. In addition, after one simulation experience, students had less anxiety and more confidence before the second simulation compared to those without simulation experience. Conclusions We confirmed that medical students need to be repeatedly exposed to simulation education experiences in order to have a sense of psychological stability and to competently deliver medical treatment in a clinical setting. There is a practical limitation in that medical students do not have enough opportunities to meet the patients during clinical practice in hospitals. Therefore, in order to produce excellent doctors, students should have the expanded opportunities to experience simulation education so they can experience real-world medical conditions.

An Alternative to Traditional Bedside Teaching During COVID-19: High-Fidelity Simulation-Based Study

“…Simulation allows for the replication of these clinical profiles, providing students with hands-on exposure they may not otherwise gain [ 19 ]. Simulation has also been shown to reduce anxiety levels among medical students as shown by Yu et al [ 20 ]. The latter propose that students need to be repeatedly exposed to simulation for psychological stability and to develop competence [ 20 ].…”

“…Simulation has also been shown to reduce anxiety levels among medical students as shown by Yu et al [ 20 ]. The latter propose that students need to be repeatedly exposed to simulation for psychological stability and to develop competence [ 20 ]. These findings are further supported by Zheng et al [ 21 ], where structural integration of high-fidelity simulation in the cardiovascular physiology curriculum for undergraduate medical students proved successful with regards to student’s learning experiences and learning outcomes.…”

“…In clinical practice, patients may present atypically, and a disadvantage of simulation-based bedside teaching is that these subtle nuisances and atypical presentations are not conveyed as well as when compared with a true patient presentation [ 15 ]. Simulation-based teaching may therefore not always represent a suitable alternative, particularly when there is advocation for preserving bedside teaching even in the face of new technologically assisted learning methods, with beliefs being held that nothing can simulate real patient encounters [ 20 ].…”

Evaluation of a Novel Simulation Curriculum With the Segmented Model in Pediatric Cardiovascular Education

“…Residents with rich medical experience showed confidence in patient care, while residents with high confidence also showed improvement in their clinical skills. In other words, confidence increases as they gain experiences ( 22 ). For residents who have limited opportunities to face real patients, it is necessary to provide an environment similar to the real clinical situation to help them better prepare themselves for clinical practice ( 22 ).…”

“…In other words, confidence increases as they gain experiences ( 22 ). For residents who have limited opportunities to face real patients, it is necessary to provide an environment similar to the real clinical situation to help them better prepare themselves for clinical practice ( 22 ). This situation is particularly prominent among young pediatric cardiovascular residents because the severity of the cardiovascular disease is always higher than other diseases.…”