Effect of Standardized Patient Simulation on Nursing Students' Assessment, Diagnosis Skills, and Experiences

The Effect of Teaching With Standardized Patient Simulation on Students' Assessment and Nursing Diagnosis Determination Skills and Determination of Their Experiences

This randomized controlled study aims to determine the effect of teaching delivered through standardized patient simulation on nursing students' assessment and nursing diagnosis determination skills, as well as their learning experiences. First-year nursing students will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive training based on standardized patient simulation, while the control group will receive traditional instruction. Data will be collected using a sociodemographic information form, case-based assessment tools, and measurement instruments designed to evaluate students' perceptions and experiences related to the educational process. Group comparisons will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the simulation-based teaching method.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Nurse's Role
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Standardized Patient Simulation-Based Training; Behavioral: Traditional Training

Detailed Description

The nursing process is a fundamental component of the bachelor's degree nursing program and plays a critical role in developing students' skills in systematic data collection, analysis, and nursing diagnosis, particularly during the first year of education. Traditional teaching methods may be insufficient to support the development of clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. Therefore, standardized patient simulation, an active learning strategy, is recognized as an effective approach to holistically develop students' cognitive, psychomotor, and affective competencies.

This randomized controlled trial will be conducted with first-year nursing students. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group will receive education based on standardized patient simulation focusing on the first two steps of the nursing process: nursing assessment and nursing diagnosis. The control group will receive the same theoretical content through traditional teaching methods.

The primary outcome measures of the study are the students' nursing assessment and nursing diagnosis skills. The secondary outcome measure is the students' experiences and perceptions of the educational process. Data will be collected before and after the intervention using appropriate measurement tools. The collected data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical methods to compare the differences.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Fulya Batmaz, RN, MSc,; Phone Number: +9004623771191; Email: fulya.batmaz@ktu.edu.tr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• First-year nursing student
• Successfully completed the Fundamentals of Nursing I course
• Currently enrolled in the Fundamentals of Nursing II course
• Aged 18 years or older
• Voluntary agreement to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previously completed the Fundamentals of Nursing II course
• Withdrawal from the study for any reason
• Failure to complete the post-test assessment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Standardized Patient Simulation-Based Training Group; Participants in this group will receive training based on standardized patient simulation focused on nursing assessment and nursing diagnosis skills.	Behavioral: Standardized Patient Simulation-Based Training; This intervention consists of structured training sessions using standardized patient simulation scenarios. The training focuses on developing students' nursing assessment and nursing diagnosis skills through active participation, scenario-based practice, and evaluation meetings.
Active Comparator: Traditional Training Group; Participants in this group will receive traditional training in nursing assessment and determining nursing diagnoses.	Behavioral: Traditional Training; This intervention consists of traditional lecture and case-based education focused on nursing assessment and nursing diagnosis determination.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Nursing Assessment Skill Score	Students' nursing assessment skills will be evaluated using the Nursing Assessment Evaluation Form developed by the researchers. Higher scores indicate better assessment performance.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test (after completion of training, approximately 1 week).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Nursing Diagnosis Determination Skill Score	Students' ability to determine accurate nursing diagnoses will be evaluated using a standardized diagnosis evaluation checklist. Higher scores indicate greater diagnostic accuracy.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test (after completion of training, approximately 1 week).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Karadeniz Technical University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Fulya Batmaz, PhD(c), Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Health Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 31, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 24, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 23, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Nursing students; Nursing process; Nursing diagnosis; Simulation training; Nursing assessment; Standardised patient
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025/44

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No