Comparison of the Nursing Student’s Perception in their Ability to Recognize a Change in Patient Condition Using the Patient Risk Detection Theory in a Simulated Environment

Nursing students in simulation often become preoccupied with alarms on the patient’s bedside monitor, failing to reassess the patient, or do not correlate monitor alarms with the patient symptomology, pathophysiology or treatment. This project compared 17 second semester nursing students self-reported perception of their ability to recognize and act on a patient condition change, with Meti-Vision data coding software for actual recognition and action time in real time during the scenario. Three scenarios were created with patient condition changes (Phases) on 3 minute intervals. Students were placed in groups of 2 with 12 total coded groups, each student group received at least 2 patient condition changes. Post simulation the nursing students completed a survey self-reporting 7 areas of perceived changes recognized and/or actions performed. The data coded was analyzed in minutes and seconds and placed in an Excel spreadsheet and imported into SPSS version 16 to obtain descriptive statistics.