Exploring Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Through A Serious Gaming-Enabled Digital Simulation
Abstract
Background: Nursing students face challenges in developing clinical reasoning skills. Serious gaming-enabled digital simulations have been introduced as educational tools designed to aid knowledge and skill development. However, their potential in exploring nursing students’ clinical reasoning processes remains uninvestigated.
Research Question: What clinical reasoning processes inform nursing students’ decision making when conducting a health assessment of a virtualized deteriorating patient, in a serious gaming-enabled clinical simulation?
Methods: Data from seven participants were collected through direct observation and interviews. An inductive content analysis was used to analyze the findings.
Findings: Emerging categories included critical cue interpretation, inductive and deductive reasoning use, communication challenges with the digital avatar, and learning through reflective debriefing.
Conclusion: Nursing students gathered crucial cues from simulation sources and faced communication issues with the digital avatar. Reflective debriefing post-simulation may increase learning and improvement.
Keywords: clinical reasoning, serious gaming-enabled digital simulation, nursing education, simulation education