Development and Effects of an Emergency Nursing Simulation- based Education Program for Hypoglycemia Patients

This study used a non-equivalent control group pre-test post-test design to develop an emergency nursing simulation-based education program for hypoglycemia patients, and examine the program’s effects on nursing students’ self-directed learning ability and confidence in performance of these said activities. Participants included sophomore nursing students from the Department of Nursing at S University in Seoul. Participants were divided in experimental (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. A 1-hour lecture on diabetes was administered to both groups. Subsequently, the experimental group was divided into teams and engaged in self-study for 1 week, after which time they participated in the simulation-based education program. Data were analyzed using SPSS, and the homogeneity of the dependent variables was verified using tests and t-tests. Postintervention between-group differences in self-directed learning ability and confidence in performance were analyzed using an ANCOVA. Study results showed that there was significant improvement in self-directed learning ability (F=8.49, p=.005) and confidence in performance (F=13.88, p<.001) for the experimental group. Therefore, this simulationbased program may be utilized as a useful educational method for enhancing nursing students’ clinical performance abilities.