(80) Enhancing Women’s Reproductive Health Education through Virtual Patient Simulations: Design and Outcomes

Abstract:

Background: Healthcare inequity is evident in women’s reproductive health (WRH) services, with patients reporting symptom dismissal, discrimination, and suboptimal educational services [1]. Health equity promotion begins in academia with clinical exposure and training; however advanced practice nursing programs continue to struggle securing clinical placements [2,3]. Virtual patient simulations (VPS) can provide learners with equitable experiences to practice patient-centered care for the WRH population.

Aim: Discuss the development and evaluation of three WRH VPS aimed at providing learners with a diverse patient population, specialized skill practice, and self-reflection activities focused on inequity recognition and intervention. Research questions: [RQ1]: How can we highlight diverse patients and healthcare equity in creating WRH VPS?  [RQ2]: Does exposure to WRH VPS improve learner knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA)? 

Methods: The ADDIE design framework was used to develop three WRH nursing simulations, student surveys assessed KSAs, and an item and topic analysis using Gensim’s LDA model evaluated performance data [4,5]. Participants: 612 graduate nursing students and 7 faculty specializing in WRH. 

Results: Student surveys found WRH VPS improved essential skills: 82% improved patient interviewing, 81% improved documentation skills, 79% improved assessment skills, and 85% reported feeling challenged to think critically. Item and topic analysis identified five topics and associated keywords regarding inequity recognition and intervention with a moderate coherence score of 0.47.

Conclusion: Well-designed VPS can assist in filling clinical knowledge gaps in WRH, providing students with equitable clinical experiences, diverse patient populations, and an environment to increase KSAs based on current practice guidelines.

Please include a short summary of your presentation that highlights why an attendee would want to view your poster.: This study explores the design and evaluation of 3 WRH VPS assignments highlighting diverse populations, the use of specialized assessment skills, and recognition of healthcare inequity and intervention. Participants will be privy to insight on design framework utilized to meet desired learning outcomes, all while providing equitable exposure to a patient population that may be difficult to secure for graduate nursing program clinical placements.