Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Not yet recruiting
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT06284252 |
| Other study ID # |
TÜBITAK-323S135 |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Not yet recruiting |
| Phase |
N/A
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
September 15, 2024 |
| Est. completion date |
February 15, 2025 |
Study information
| Verified date |
February 2024 |
| Source |
Necmettin Erbakan University |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
The project is unique in that it will use virtual game simulation, a new learning method, and
it will address the physical examination skills of nursing students, an area that has not
been researched before. In the project, a randomized controlled research design with a
pretest-posttest control group will be used. The population will consist of 200 second-year
students enrolled in the Physical Examination in Nursing course at Necmettin Erbakan
University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Nursing, in the 2024-2025 Fall Semester. 120
students from the population who meet the research inclusion criteria will be randomly
assigned to control (n=60) and experimental (n=60) groups according to their general academic
success score. In collecting data; Introductory characteristics form, skill checklist for
physical examination of the heart, skill checklist for physical examination of the abdomen,
skill checklist for physical examination of the respiratory system and an evaluation form for
the effect of virtual game simulation on skill practice for physical examination will be
used. In the project, three different virtual game simulations will be developed for physical
examinations of the heart, abdomen and respiratory system. During the fall semester,
theoretical and laboratory demonstration applications will be carried out by the project
team. A pre-test will be administered to all students, and then virtual game simulations will
be made available to students in the experimental group for three weeks. Then, the virtual
games will be closed to the students and a post-test will be administered to the experimental
and control group students. After the final test application, virtual game simulations will
be made available to students in the control group. In pre- and post-test applications,
students will practice physical examination skills on simulated patients at three different
stations (heart, abdomen and respiratory system) and will be evaluated by the project team
according to skill checklists. After the skill evaluations, the students in the experimental
group will be given a form to evaluate the effect of the virtual game simulation for physical
examination on skill practice and will be asked to fill it out.
Description:
One of the most important components in providing professional and holistic nursing care is
health assessment. Assessment of the individual's health status consists of three stages:
history taking, physical examination and recording of data. The first step in providing safe
and effective nursing care is to use physical examination skills. Physical examination is a
systematic data collection method obtained by using the methods of inspection (visual
examination), palpation (hand examination), auscultation (examination by listening),
percussion (examination by hitting) and olfaction (examination by smell) in order to
determine the health problems of the individual.
Physical examination helps determine changes in the patient's health status, provide
systematic holistic nursing care, plan care with data obtained as a result of comprehensive
and objective measurements, and make effective decisions regarding the individual's health
status. Depending on the developments in nursing roles, nurses are now responsible for
performing physical examinations.
In clinical practice, physical examination skills are used to measure an individual's vital
signs, determine height and body weight, and evaluate skin integrity, extremity movements,
and bowel movements in the early postoperative period. However, in order to make a
comprehensive evaluation and collect objective data, physical examination skills should be
used more effectively and this issue should be emphasized in nursing education. West (2006)
states that physical examination should be included in nursing education to establish a
connection between symptoms and physiology, contribute to the quality of care, and ensure
strong collaboration with other health professionals. However, research shows that physical
examination methods are not emphasized enough in undergraduate nursing courses. In addition,
it was determined that nurses and students did not widely use physical assessment methods in
practice. These examination methods are not adequately offered to nursing students because
physical evaluation is included in the elective course that many universities do not offer.
Doğdu et al. (2021) barriers to nursing students using physical examination methods; They
stated this as corporate culture, lack of time, knowledge and skills. Therefore, it is
necessary to provide students with physical examination knowledge and skills in nursing
education.
It is stated in the literature that the skill that students have the most difficulty in
learning is respiratory system examination, especially auscultation skill. In a study, 177
educators were asked about the physical examination skills that should be taught first and
they stated that the level of consciousness, heart, abdomen and respiratory system
examination should be taught first. In another study, students stated that they frequently
performed heart, abdomen and lung examinations in clinical practice, but most of the students
stated that they did not perform a complete physical examination and that the practice was
not sufficient.This project aims to teach physical examination skills for the heart, abdomen
and respiratory system, which students frequently encounter in clinical practice and have
difficulty in practicing skills.
It is very difficult to teach physical examination skills to students with classical learning
methods. Today, with the propensity of Generation Z students towards information
technologies, classical learning methods and teaching methods that include technology have
begun to be used together.
Recently, one of the teaching methods that incorporate technology in nursing education is
virtual game simulation. Virtual game simulation is a two-dimensional (2D) virtual computer
game involving simulated people that enables students to actively participate in a clinical
scenario. Virtual game simulations are a pedagogical method that allows students to use
critical thinking and decision-making skills by using simulated patients in scenarios
involving different clinical environments.
Studies have been conducted with nursing students using virtual game simulations in the
fields of obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health, surgery, respiratory system
diseases, emergency health and nursing process, and in these studies, virtual game simulation
has been shown to improve students' knowledge, feedback, interaction, participation,
self-confidence, self-efficacy. It is stated that it increases perception, satisfaction,
critical thinking, decision-making skills, learning and psychomotor skills. In studies,
nursing students stated that virtual game simulations are usable, easy, fun and useful,
reduce clinical anxiety, increase their self-confidence, self-efficacy and memorability, and
allow learning and practice in a safe, realistic and interesting environment. It is also
stated that virtual game simulation is very useful for nursing students (Atthill et al. 2021;
Luctkar-Flude et al. 2021; Verkuyl et al. 2021). However, since virtual game simulation is a
new learning method, there is only one experimental study examining its effect on the skill
level of nursing students. In this study, it was determined that virtual game simulation
increased the general performance scores of nursing students (n = 20) regarding
resuscitation. Virtual game simulation can be used in teaching physical examination skills,
which is one of the professional practices of nursing.
