Comparing Two Teaching Methods on Nursing Students' Ethical Decision-Making Level

Background: Health care services have become increasingly complex and led to new ethical problems, which requires strong ethical decision-making skills. This study was conducted to compare the effects of case analysis and simulation with standardized patients in a Nursing Ethics Course on students' ethical decision-making levels. Methods: The study was designed as a quasi-experimental study. The participants were composed of 70 undergraduate nursing students. A sociodemographic data and the Nursing Dilemma Test were used to collect data. Results: The mean pretest Nursing Principled Thinking and Practical Considerations scores of the students in the simulation group were higher than those in the case analysis group. The difference between pretest mean scores of case analysis and simulation groups was not statistically significant (p > .05). Conclusion: Compared with the case analysis method, simulation by using standardized patients was found to be a more effective method to develop students' ethical decision-making skills.