Development of a simulation evaluation tool for assessing nursing students' clinical judgment in caring for children with dehydration

Abstract

Background: The lack of reliable and valid tools to evaluate learning outcomes during simulations has limited the adoption and progress of simulation-based nursing education. Purposes: This study had two aims: (a) to develop a simulation evaluation tool (SETc-dehydration) to assess students' clinical judgment in caring for children with dehydration based on the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) and (b) to examine its reliability and validity. Participants: Undergraduate nursing students from two nursing schools in South Korea participated in this study from March 3 through June 10, 2014. Methods: The SETc-dehydration was developed, and 120 nursing students' clinical judgment was evaluated. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, Cohen's kappa coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to analyze the data. Results: A 41-item version of the SETc-dehydration with three subscales was developed. Cohen's kappa (measuring inter-observer reliability) of the sessions ranged from.73 to.95, and Cronbach's alpha was.87. The mean total rating of the SETc-dehydration by the instructors was 1.92 (+/-.25), and the mean scores for the four LCJR dimensions of clinical judgment were as follows: noticing (1.74 +/- .27), interpreting (1.85 +/- .43), responding (2.17 +/- .32), and reflecting (1.79 +/- .35). CFA, which was performed to test construct validity, showed that the four dimensions of the SETc-dehydration was an appropriate framework. Conclusion: The SETc-dehydration provides a means to evaluate clinical judgment in simulation education. Its reliability and validity should be examined further. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.