High-Fidelity Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examinations with Standardized Patients in Nursing Students: An Innovative Proposal during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In response to the cancellation of in-person objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) prompted by confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we designed a solution to adapt our traditional OSCEs to this new reality in nursing education. We implemented an innovative teaching proposal based on high-fidelity virtual OSCEs with standardized patients. The purposes of our study were to describe this innovative teaching proposal and compare nursing competence acquisition in final year nursing students through virtual and in-person OSCE modalities. The study included 234 undergraduate students: 123 students were assessed through high-fidelity virtual OSCEs during May 2020, whereas 111 students were assessed through in-person OSCEs during May 2019. The structure of OSCEs, including its stations, clinical simulated scenarios, and checklists, was the same in both OSCE modalities. The effect size of the differences among the competence categories of checklists, including their total scores, was small. Regarding our virtual OSCEs was similarly successful to in-person OSCEs, this online format was found to be useful, feasible, and cost-saving when in-person OSCE was not possible. Therefore, high-fidelity virtual OSCEs with standardized patients could be considered as another choice of OSCE not only in the current COVID-19 pandemic but could also be extended to normal situations, even post-pandemic.

A rapid review of the effectiveness of alternative education delivery strategies in medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy education during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Three descriptive studies (see Table 6) conducted in Spain, 36 Japan 37 and USA 38 provided evidence for the effectiveness of alternative educational delivery strategies for nursing students studying a specific module in human genomics, 37 simulation in paediatric clinical practice 38 and for the delivery of remote OSCEs with COPD patients 36 during the COVID-19 pandemic. All three studies compared a group of students receiving a remotely delivered educational package with a group receiving standard, in-person education.…”

“…Weston and Zauche 38 substituted virtual simulation using the i-Human platform to replace in-person clinical practice and simulation laboratory learning. Outcomes explored were competency (n=2) 36,37 confidence (n=1), 37 and knowledge (n=2). 37,38…”

“…Weston and Zauche 38 substituted virtual simulation using the i-Human platform to replace inperson clinical practice and simulation laboratory learning. Outcomes explored were competency (n=2) 36,37 confidence (n=1), 37 and knowledge (n=2). 37,38 The evidence suggests that levels of competency were the same and levels of confidence were higher when learning or assessment was conducted virtually (2020) compared to in-person pre-COVID (2019).…”

Assessing the utility of virtual OSCE sessions as an educational tool: a national pilot study

“…Moreover, studies running similar virtual OSCEs have shown that it is cost-efficient, useful and feasible in the current global situation with a potential role even in the post-pandemic phase [ 15 ]. As our OSCE workshops were all online, we were able to reach students on an international level, thus providing students from across the world with the opportunity to participate and access resources that they may have otherwise been unable to reach if the sessions were run in-person.…”

Assessing the utility of virtual OSCE sessions as an educational tool: a national pilot study

“…Moreover, studies running similar virtual OSCEs have shown that it is cost-e cient, useful and feasible in the current global situation with a potential role even in the post-pandemic phase [15]. As our OSCE workshops were all online, we were able to reach students on an international level, thus providing students from across the world with the opportunity to participate and access resources that they may have otherwise been unable to reach if the sessions were run in-person.…”