The use of simulation for teaching therapy management: An observational descriptive study on 2nd and 3rd year students of the nursing degree course of Reggio Emilia

The patient safety is considered a strategic and ethical objective of health, also one of the factors that determine the care quality. To ensure the patient safety, the prevention and the reduction of medication errors is a crucial aspect. Therapy errors are identified as the most frequent committed in the healthcare context. Nurses plays an extremely important role in the patient safety, as the professional responsible for the correct application of the diagnostic/therapeutic prescriptions. Nursing students must have the opportunity to experiment the management of the therapy to acquire skills that can prevent the related risks. This study describe the perception of nursing students, regarding the acquisition of skills, in the therapy management, through a didactic module in where they can try the simulation using a therapy software. The study involved 503 students attending the second and the third year of the Nursing Course, considering two different cohorts. The data collection tool was used is a questionnaire with 10 closed-ended questions, using a Likert scale, and one open question. The students has perceived as an effective training, considering the achievement of the didactic objectives. The simulation it allowed the students to consolidate skills and/or to acquire new and more complex ones, through the experience and the learning from errors.