A simulation-based nursing education of psychological first aid for adolescents exposed to hazardous chemical disasters

Background Simulation-based education facilitates a learner-centered experience, which has been found to be effective in improving clinical performance, problem-solving ability, and self-confidence in nursing practice. The objective of this study was to develop and test a psychological first aid simulation-based education program for nurses caring for adolescents exposed to hazardous chemical disasters. Methods This study employed a nonequivalent pre and post-control group research design. The simulation-based education program was developed, and the participants were 30 nurses working in a medical center who were randomly assigned to the experimental, comparison, and control groups. The collected data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Ver. 22.0. Results The nurses who participated in the simulation-based education program showed statistically significantly improved psychological first aid performance knowledge, competence, and self-efficacy compared to those in the other groups. Conclusions Nursing simulation programs could help to improve nurses' performance in mental health care and psychological support for adolescents suffering from hazardous chemical disasters.