Simulation in nursing: the importance of involving service users.

ABSTRACT

The term 'service user' is an amorphous concept that can refer to a variety of groups. It refers to people who use or have used a service, or to the carers or parents of service users, or it can be used to refer to lay people, the public or non-professionals. It can also be used to refer to all or any combination of these. To maximise the potential of simulation, it is crucial to involve service users their inclusion in the co-design of simulations, alongside patient educators and participatory decision-makers, provides invaluable input from a patient perspective. They also make an important contribution by portraying patients in the scenarios within which students interact, providing perspectives based on real-life experiences, offering students an insight into how patients could respond. Such an approach to designing simulations as part of nursing education will help develop professionals who are more patient-centred, culturally competent and more responsive to patient needs.