Effect of standardized patient simulation-based pedagogics embedded with lecture in enhancing mental status evaluation cognition among nursing students in Tanzania: A longitudinal quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Nurses around the world are expected to demonstrate competence in performing mental status evaluation. However, there is a gap between what is taught in class and what is practiced for patients with mental illness among nursing students during MSE performance. It is believed that proper pedagogics may enhance this competence. A longitudinal controlled quasi-experimental study design was used to evaluate the effect of using standardized patient simulation-based pedagogics embedded with a lecture in enhancing mental status evaluation cognition among nursing students in Tanzania.

METHODS

A longitudinal controlled quasi-experimental study design with pre-and post-test design studied 311 nursing students in the Tanga and Dodoma regions. The Standardized Patient Simulation-Based Pedagogy (SPSP) package was administered to the intervention group. Both groups underwent baseline and post-test assessments using a Interviewer-adminstered structured questionnaire as the primary data collection tool, which was benchmarked from previous studies. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically the Difference in Difference linear mixed model, and the t-test was carried out using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, version 25.

RESULTS

The participant's mean age was 21 years ± 2.69 with 68.81% of the students being female. Following the training Students in the intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in MSE cognition post-test, with an overall mean score of (M ± SD = 22.15 ± 4.42;p = < 0.0001), against (M ± SD = 16.52 ± 6.30) for the control group.

CONCLUSION

A significant difference exists in the levels of cognition, among nursing students exposed to Mental Status Evaluation (MSE) materials through Standardized Patient Simulation-Based Pedagogy (SPSP) embeded with lectures. When MSE materials are delivered through SPSP along with lectures, the results are significantly superior to using lectures pedagogy alone.

Opinions and experiences on the provision of care to people with mental illnesses: a qualitative study with Doctor of Pharmacy graduates after a rotation in psychiatry

BACKGROUND

Pharmacists are vital to optimizing therapy of people with mental illnesses. Limited knowledge, lack of confidence, and mental health-related stigma can lead to pharmacists' reluctance in the provision of pharmaceutical care to this population. Advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) in mental health have been reported as valuable learning opportunities to overcome these challenges.

AIM

This study aimed to explore PharmD graduates' perceived preparedness, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions on influencing factors for the provision of pharmaceutical care to people with mental illnesses after completing an APPE rotation in psychiatry.

METHOD

All PharmD graduates who had completed a rotation in psychiatry were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. An interview guide was developed based on a literature review. A total of 11 PharmD graduates agreed to participate in the interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, and analysed inductively using thematic analysis and following a phenomenological approach.

RESULTS

Five themes were identified: Prior familiarity to mental health, opinions on the rotation, views on stigma, rotation's areas of improvement, and the positive impact of the rotation on practice. Although participants started the psychiatric rotation with low confidence and a sense of apprehension, they described their experience as unique, eye-opening, and insightful. Familiarity with mental health conditions before the rotation were perceived as a challenge to achieving full confidence in mental health care provision.

CONCLUSION

For the most part, the APPE in psychiatry was viewed as a positive opportunity for enhancing the PharmD graduates' insight, knowledge, and skills for pharmaceutical care provision to people with mental illnesses.

Second-year undergraduate nursing students' experiences with clinical simulation training in mental health clinical practice: A focus group study

AIM

The aim of this focus group study was to investigate second-year undergraduate nursing students' experiences with clinical simulation training as part of their clinical practice in acute mental health care.

BACKGROUND

The quality of bachelor programmes in nursing has been criticised for lacking theoretical and experiential learning in the mental health modules. Novice nurses feel unprepared to care for patients with mental health challenges and graduate nurses are reported to lack the necessary knowledge and skills to manage patients with mental health issues confidently and competently. Clinical simulation training can facilitate the teaching of clinical and non-clinical skills simultaneously and is a highly suitable method within mental health care for addressing gaps in knowledge and skills in communicating with patients. Clinical simulation training may enhance nursing students' competence and thereby reduce the risk of adverse events and increase safety. However, we know little about undergraduate nursing students' experiences with clinical simulation training as an integrated part of nursing students' clinical practice in acute mental health wards.

DESIGN

Explorative qualitative focus group study.

METHOD

Three focus group interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide with second-year undergraduate nursing students from a university in Norway during spring 2020. In total, 14 students who had experienced clinical simulation training as part of their mental health clinical practice participated in the study. The collected data were analysed using systematic text condensation.

RESULTS

Clinical simulation training as part of the clinical practice increased the students' preparedness, coping and self-awareness. Most of the participants had positive perceptions of the use of high-fidelity simulation-based learning. Furthermore, they highlighted three elements that increased the value of the training. First, the simulation felt authentic and increased their professional skills. Second, the standardised patient had clinical qualifications, which made the simulation feel authentic and close to realistic situations. Third, not having a former relationship with the person acting as the standardised patient enhanced authenticity.

CONCLUSION

Clinical simulation training as part of clinical practice contributed to increasing the students' self-awareness and in-depth reflection and to broadening their nursing competence. The present study lays the groundwork for future studies on clinical simulation training in mental health clinical practice for nursing students.

Clinical instruction in mental health nursing: students' perceptions of best practices

OBJECTIVES

Negative clinical educational experiences for student nurses are predictors of negative attitudes and perceptions towards mental health. In clinical education, instructors take on this important role often with little to no formal training. This study explored nursing students' perceptions of instructional best practices in mental health clinical education.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive design was used, and 10 Canadian baccalaureate nursing (BN) students were interviewed. These students had completed a six-week practicum on an acute inpatient psychiatric unit in either their second, third or fourth year of study.

RESULTS

Through thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (1) Students valued feeling prepared at the beginning of the clinical placement. (2) Students felt empowered when instructors encouraged self-direction. (3) Students appreciated positive role modeling by their instructors.

CONCLUSIONS

Suggestions for clinical teaching strategies are made to mitigate student stress, increase confidence, and address the influence of mental health stigma on learning.

Creating Effective Post-Pandemic Psychiatric Nursing Clinical Experiences Using the Roy Adaptation Model

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted students in psychiatric clinical rotations. Clinicals were frequently limited or canceled, restricting exposure of student nurses to this experience. Many modifications led to permanent changes in the psychiatric clinical setting.

Objectives

The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a cohesive approach to serving student nurses in the post-pandemic psychiatric clinical setting.

Methods

A theoretical exploration of the literature framed by the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) was conducted.

Discussion

Results are presented using the four modes of the theory: Physiological, Self-Concept, Role Function, and Interdependence.

Conclusions

Findings include strategies to enhance student learning while supporting students' health and wellness. Educators and practitioners should provide high-quality, safe learning environments for student nurses.

Improving mental health education in nursing school

ABSTRACT

Nurses are at the forefront of providing care to individuals with mental illness in various healthcare settings, yet the World Health Organization and others have found that many nurses are inadequately prepared to provide mental health care. This article discusses the nurse's role in providing care to individuals with mental illness and the importance of integrating more mental health education into undergraduate nursing curricula.

Australian and Indian nursing students' skills and attitudes surrounding mental illness: Preparing for a transnational nursing education collaboration

Cultural competence is a viewed as a necessary set of skills within nursing, and there is a need for student support in this area. This is particularly important in mental health care, with two skills considered crucial for providing quality care: therapeutic relationship skills and positive attitudes. With the objective of initiating an educational collaboration between two educational institutions, this study examined Australian and Indian undergraduate nursing student's perceived therapeutic relationship skills and stigma attitudes associated with mental illness. Participants were five hundred and fifty-five (n = 555) undergraduate nursing students from two different universities in Indian and Australia. The modified version of the Scale To Assess Therapeutic Relationship (STAR-C) and the Social Distance Scale (SDS) were both used to examine student's perceived therapeutic relationship skills and stigma attitudes. Australian nursing students indicated lower levels of stigma with lower levels of self-reported therapeutic relationships skills, as compared with the Indian nursing student cohort. However, Indian nursing students indicated higher levels of stigma with higher self-reported therapeutic relationship skills. The results of this study may reflect cultural differences and meanings attached to mental illness.