Use of infant simulators as an aid in pregnancy and parenting educational interventions for school-aged students: a scoping review.

Schools and school teachers often focus on content aimed at delaying sexual debut and preventing teenage pregnancy, and address the impacts of risky behaviours on infant health. Infant simulators are increasingly used in health education courses. However, it is unclear how effective this education is. In this review, we examined the evidence for the effectiveness and use of pregnancy/parenting education programmes for school-aged students using infant simulators. Infant simulators are lifelike replicas of human newborn babies that have electronic capacity to mimic a range of infant behaviours. These may include feeding, comfort needs and nappy changing. Responses to these replicated behaviours may be recorded to provide feedback of the adequacy of the response for educational purposes and provide feedback to prospective parents and caregivers. This review followed the guidelines for conducting a scoping review developed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). After following the process as recommended by the JBI, 32 eligible articles were selected for inclusion. Eight themes emerged from the analysis and it was found that the use of infant simulators in terms of effectiveness was not conclusive. This may be due to lack of longitudinal studies examining the impact of the education provided. Furthermore, the literature did not address innovations of infant simulators that replicate infants with particular characteristics, those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, shaken baby syndrome or challenges from parental substance use. Further research is required to determine the long-term impact of using infant simulators on reducing risky behaviours. Given these challenges, it is important to support initiatives for sex, pregnancy and parenting education among all students.

Presenting your lived experience of mental health issues to health professional students: Findings from rural and regional Australia.

BACKGROUND: Introduction of mental health service users and their family within undergraduate health profession courses has become routine in many curriculums. Few studies have explored the expectations and perceptions of such presenters. OBJECTIVES: This study reports the perceptions of nine carers and consumers in a regional Australian University. DESIGN: A descriptive design was utilised. Participants were recruited via a consumer and carer support group. A semi-structured interview and thematic analysis of the data were used to generate themes. FINDINGS: The analysis identified six common themes that addressed personal benefits, an imperative to increase the awareness of others, a desire to do something worthwhile, personal changing of perspectives, expectations of the presentation role and characteristics of the presenter. Several points of difference between presenters and non-presenters and issues relating to rural and regional settings were identified. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that in rural and regional areas participation is more likely when life circumstances exhibit employment stability as some feel threatened by stigma. The theme of 'expectations' adds to current knowledge, with presenter's expectations often being exceeded in terms of student attitudes across different study programs.

The impact of an undergraduate students' culture on their learning about mental health: A scoping review.

Mental disorders are highly prevalent. This necessitates undergraduate students in health-related courses are provided with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to deliver safe care. Research confirms undergraduate health students maintain discriminative, stigmatizing, and inaccurate beliefs and attitudes toward those experiencing mental disorders. However, there is a paucity of research exploring how culture influences these beliefs. This scoping review addressed the question: 'What is the impact of an undergraduate student's culture on their learning about mental health?' A systematic search was undertaken of the MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases. Results indicate variance between students' cultural beliefs in their attitudes toward and knowledge of mental disorders and understanding of interventions and treatment. None of the identified studies reviewed the ramifications for pedagogy beyond anecdotal suggestions. Educators need to acknowledge the potential impact that students' cultural beliefs have on their learning about mental health and consider appropriate learning activities to acknowledge the role of culture. Research of the impact of undergraduate students' culture on their learning about mental health will provide an evidence base for the development of these learning activities.

Identifying student knowledge and perception of what is valuable to professional practice: A mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Bachelor of Nursing programmes are designed to prepare Registered Nurses for professional practice. The Bachelor of Nursing curriculum under discussion was shaped by the conceptual framework of primary health care philosophy, including themes of social justice, Indigenous health, caring philosophy, and the advancement of the discipline through research, scholarship and application of nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to identify what students and graduates found valuable in a Bachelor of Nursing curriculum conceptual framework and what value they placed on a conceptual framework and underpinning themes. DESIGN: A small study was designed to identify the student perceptions of themes which may be valuable to the new curriculum of the Bachelor of Nursing. A mixed methodology was selected as being appropriate to allow students to indicate the value that previous and completing students placed on each of these items and to explore their perceptions. SETTINGS: The setting for this small study was a regional university in NSW, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Previous and completing (final year) students were invited to complete the online survey and any who were willing to be interviewed were asked to provide their contact details. METHODS: The research was conducted via a questionnaire through Survey Monkey, using a Likert scale and open responses and follow up interviews were conducted with willing participants. RESULTS: A total of 128 responses to the survey were received and ten were interviewed. Overall responses were positive. Students were aware of and valued all aspects of the current and proposed conceptual framework. There were some themes; however which were better understood than others. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of graduated students indicated that they were well prepared for the workforce. All aspects of the conceptual framework of the curriculum were valued by the majority of students.

Survey of Australian schools of nursing use of human patient (mannequin) simulation.

Rapid adoption of high-fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation has occurred in Australian Schools of Nursing in recent years, as it has internationally. This paper reports findings from a 2012 online survey of Australian Schools of Nursing and builds on findings of earlier studies. The survey design allowed direct comparison with a previous study from the USA but limited its scope to the pre-registration (pre-service Bachelor of Nursing) curriculum. It also included extra mental health specific questions. Australian patterns of adoption and application of high-fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation in the pre-registration nursing curriculum share features with experiences reported in previous US and Australian surveys. A finding of interest in this survey was a small number of Schools of Nursing that reported no current use of high-fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation and no plans to adopt it, in spite of a governmental capital funding support programme. In-line with prior surveys, mental health applications were meagre. There is an absence of clearly articulated learning theory underpinnings in the use of high-fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation generally. It appears the first stage of implementation of high-fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation into the pre-registration nursing curriculum has occurred and the adoption of this pedagogy is entering a new phase.

Is high fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation, simulation of learning?

This paper explores the application of evaluation of high fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation emerging in nursing education. The ramifications for use in mental health nursing are examined. A question is posed: Is high fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation limited to being a "simulation of learning"? Explicit research that traces learning outcomes from mannequin, to clinical practice and hence consumer outcomes, is absent in mental health. Piecing together research from psychology addressing cognitive load theory and considering the capacity for learners to imitate desired behaviour without experiencing deep learning, the possibility is real that simulation of learning is the outcome of high fidelity human patient (mannequin) simulation applications to mental health nursing.

Child and adolescent psychiatric nursing and the 'plastic man': reflections on the implementation of change drawing insights from Lewin's theory of planned change.

Child and adolescent psychiatric nursing (CAPN) as a discipline has been remarkably slow in the uptake of high fidelity human patient simulation (HFHPS) as an education tool. Assuming HFHPS has potential use, and the issue is one of change management, this paper speculates about how Lewin's paradigm for Planned Change might provide guidance to the specialty discipline of CAPN in development of strategies to promote adoption of HFHPS to education of pre-registration nurses. Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) was a seminal theorist of change, whose pioneering work has had significant impact across many disciplines. His theory of Planned Change has four components - field theory, group dynamics, action research and the three-step model of change. Each component is considered briefly and then combined within an example of application.

"Coming ready or not" high fidelity human patient simulation in child and adolescent psychiatric nursing education: diffusion of Innovation.

This paper is the first to address high fidelity human patient simulation (HFHPS) as a technique to prepare pre-registration nursing students for practice in child and adolescent psychiatric nursing (CAPN). By examining the published literature in a systematic review, no evidence was located that discussed the application of this innovative mannequin-based educational technique for this population. Indeed, mental health nursing preparation generally had minimal literature addressing the adoption of HFHPS. Rogers' (2003) model of the "Diffusion of Innovation" was applied as a lens to explain this observation. His model fitted this observed pattern well and provided a range of explanatory paradigms. It was limited, however, in its predictive ability to suggest when and under what conditions HFHPS might be expected to be adopted by nursing preparation programmes for CAPN. At the conclusion to this examination, the absence of a conversation evident in the mental health or CAPN literature on the preparation of pre-registration nursing students using this educational technique is striking. The potential of this approach to be combined in new ways to better prepare nursing students for the challenges of practice in mental health or CAPN needs extensive examination.

Survey of a videoconference community of professional development for rural and urban nurses.

INTRODUCTION: Videoconferencing technology has the potential to increase opportunities for healthcare professionals in rural and remote areas to access continuing professional development. This research used a quantitative approach to an evaluation of the effectiveness of videoconferencing technology in the development of a community of professional development. METHOD: In 2008 a videoconference symposia was held across four sites in New South Wales, Australia. A survey developed and adapted from an existing model of online teaching and learning was completed by 55% (n = 56) of attendees. RESULTS: Survey findings revealed that successful aspects of the videoconference community included 'being welcoming and providing useful information', as partially or fully agreed by all respondents. Less successful aspects of the community included ease of use, with 44.6% (n = 25) either disagreeing or partially disagreeing that the videoconference was easy to use; reliability, with 33.9% (n = 37) either disagreeing or partially disagreeing that the community platform was reliable; and knowledge construction, with 69.1% (n = 38) identifying that they only took information and did not add ideas or content. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that although the videoconference ran effectively with the experience of minor technical difficulties, respondents demonstrated more of a passive role than constructive in their development of new knowledge, despite the promotion of an interactive environment.