Student Clinical Performance in Acute Care Enhanced Through Simulation Training

Purpose: High-fidelity human simulation (HFHS) is implemented in physical therapy (PT) curricula to prepare students for acute care clinical experiences (CEs). Nursing and medical education literature supports HFHS in preparation for clinical practice, but there is limited evidence describing efficacy of HFHS in PT education. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical performance between PT students who did and did not participate in HFHS training before acute care CEs. Methodology: In this exploratory study, 16 PT students were randomly assigned to either the control or the experimental groups. The experimental group participated in 6 hours of HFHS before an acute care CE. Clinical performance was evaluated by quantitative and qualitative analysis of Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) ratings during the CE. Baseline demographics and CPI ratings were compared using the Mann-Whitney U for continuous data and chi-square analysis for categorical data. Qualitative methods were used in analysis of CPI narrative comments. Results: No significant differences were found on CPI quantitative analysis, but qualitative analysis demonstrated different perceptions between groups. Students participating in HFHS were described to excel in safety and communication as well as overall preparation for acute care practice. Conclusion: High-fidelity human simulation in PT education may lead to improved performance during acute care CEs.