High fidelity patient simulation as an educational tool in paediatric intensive care: A systematic review

• HFPS training can lead to improved learner outcomes in PICU nursing education
• HFPS can positively influence both technical and non-technical skill acquisition
• Scant studies provide high quality empirical evidence to support HFPS use in PICU

SummaryObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the use of high fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) in paediatric intensive care nursing education through the use of a systematic literature review.MethodA systematic search was undertaken in the electronic databases CINAHL (via EBSCOhost), Medline and Pubmed, ClinicalKey, Science Direct and OVID. Electronic searches were supplemented by hand searches of journals, individual article reference lists and the World Wide Web. Main outcome measures were learner outcomes. The search was limited to papers published in English between 2000 and 2015.ResultsEight papers satisfied the inclusion criteria of the review. Studies included in the review ranged from moderate to low on the quality assessment scale. HFPS training was associated with improved short-term learner outcomes of various measures, however this should be considered with the small number of studies examining this topic and the scarcity of high quality randomised studies.ConclusionsThe evidence of improved learner outcomes following HFPS training in paediatric intensive care (PICU) nursing education should be considered together with the quality and methodological limitations of existing research. There was no evidence of negative effects. The direction of research suggests that HFPS is a useful tool in the education of PICU nurses.