Development and Evaluation of a Wearable Simulator System.

Background: Peer physical examination is a clinical teaching-learning approach used for decades because of the convenient sample of peers for practicing. However, this approach has limitations when learning to assess abnormalities and threatens psychologically safe learning. A wearable simulator system was designed for learning physical examination skills to minimize ethical and learning challenges. Sample: The sample consisted of fifty prelicensure nursing students and ten faculty in an upper Midwest university. Method: The wearable simulator was constructed into a vest with RFID tags and ribcage landmarks. An observational, evaluative design was used for participants to rate seven categories during a one-hour evaluation session of the wearable simulator worn by a standardized patient trained to portray an individual with pneumonia. Results: Satisfaction was rated highly among participants. More than 80% of student participants indicated the wearable simulator promotes privacy and reduces embarrassment. Conclusion: The wearable simulator system offers a promising teaching-learning alternative with scenario-specific auscultation and palpation feedback to provide a safe, repeatable, and consistent simulation experience.

Clinical Judgment and Informatics: Encoding Simulations Using the Omaha System.

BACKGROUND: Clinical judgment is a critical nursing competency. Unfolding case study is a pedagogy used to develop clinical judgment. The Omaha System is an accepted taxonomy for standardizing nursing documentation. METHOD: An unfolding case study was developed from a simulation scenario by encoding 33 nursing interventions with the Omaha System, then developed multiple true-false response items which were sent electronically in survey format to prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students. Differences between identified essential and distractor interventions were evaluated. RESULTS: Participants (n = 101) identified correct interventions (M = 74.6%, standard deviation [SD] = 12%). A paired t-test indicated the percentage of correctly identified essential interventions (M = 78%, SD = 18.7%) was significantly higher than distractor interventions (M = 67%, SD = 18%). DISCUSSION: Nursing students can identify appropriate interventions using the Omaha System, demonstrating potential to extend highly effective and low-cost learning experiences using unfolding case study and multiple true-false response items. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(4):237-239.].