Effect Size in Clinical Education Using Standardized Geriatric Patient Simulation

Abstract

The recommendation by Skinner, 2017 Skinner H.M. Simulation: Preparing nursing students to work with community-dwelling older adults. Clinical Simulation in Nursing. 2017; 13: 520-523 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (9) Google Scholar that a standardized geriatric patient simulation should be integrated into community health courses was not fully supported by the data and findings. First, in addition to the lack of statistical significance noted by the authors, the effect size was calculated to determine the difference in aging knowledge test scores before and after the simulation and found it was only r = 9.1%, which is low according to Cohen's criteria ( Cohen, 1988 Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd ed. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ1988 Google Scholar ); therefore, there was not even a trend toward effectiveness in increasing knowledge of aging. Second, in a qualitative component, many of the student participants made positive statements about how much was learned about older adults, but this conflicted with the unimproved knowledge scores. No negative statements were presented. The discrepancy between the quantitative and qualitative findings can be possibly explained by the absence of any methods for assessing the credibility or dependability of the qualitative findings, such as the classic methods of Lincoln and Guba, 1985 Lincoln Y.S. Guba E.G. Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA1985 Crossref Google Scholar . Simulation: Preparing Nursing Students to Work with Community-Dwelling Older AdultsClinical Simulation In NursingVol. 13Issue 10PreviewThis article describes a simulation used to prepare undergraduate nursing students to work with community-dwelling older adults during their senior nursing capstone experience. Full-Text PDF Response: Effect Size in Clinical Education Using Standardized Geriatric Patient SimulationClinical Simulation In NursingVol. 16PreviewIn the October issue of Clinical Simulation in Nursing, Skinner (2017) presents a simulation curriculum to prepare undergraduate nursing students to work with a geriatric population in the community. The stated purpose of the investigation was, “… to improve nursing students' perceptions of older adults and provide them an opportunity to practice competent care that empowers older adults to stay healthy,” with a stated goal “… to discover if participation in the simulation changed undergraduate nursing students' perception of older adults and prepared them to care for older adults during their community health capstone experience” (Skinner, 2017). Full-Text PDF