Simulated Home Visit to Promote Chronic Disease Management Competencies in Prelicensure Nursing Students

Background: Conducting a best possible medication history (BPMH), while using effective patient communication skills, falls within the nursing scope of practice and is recommended at all care levels. Nursing students should be taught these skills before entering clinical practice, but evidence about effective teaching strategies is limited. Approach: A standardized patient-facilitated home visit simulation was utilized in a prelicensure nursing program to practice a BPMH while using effective patient communication skills. Outcomes: All students correctly identified medications listed on the patient history, and most identified omitted medications (90.1%), transposed medications (91.6%), and incorrect medication usage (91.6%). All students demonstrated effective patient communication skills-using open-ended questions and inquiring about medication usage. Conclusion: Incorporating a standardized patient-facilitated home visit BPMH simulation allows students the opportunity to practice and achieve BPMH competency essential for nurses.