An Integrative Review of Simulation Programs for Nursing Students: Patient and Caregiver-Centered Communication

Background: The purpose of this study was to review simulation program for Korean nursing students. Methods: Whittmore and Knafl’s integrative review methods were used. Peer-reviewed articles published in either Korean or English were included in this review. Authors followed the four steps that Whittmore and Knafl specified: Clarify the purpose of the study; search for and select articles; evaluate the selected articles; and analyze and interpret the articles. Results: The search yielded 173 articles, 8 of which met the criteria and were included in the review. All of the selected studies had a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Simulation programs varied from 1 to 10 sessions. Although all of the simulation programs included assessments of communication ability, improving communication ability was not included in the simulation program context. Conclusions: Most of the selected studies adopted disease-focused care simulation programs and measured communication skill changes as one of the effects of the program. Either a simulator or a standardized patient was used in the simulation programs. However, most of the studies did not address communication ability or competence in the content of the program. Therefore, in-depth communication skills to build relationships with patients and caregivers needs to be included in the simulation program content.