Effectiveness of High Fidelity Simulation for Safety in the Medication Process in Intensive Care: Randomized Clinical Trial

Nursing plays an important role in the medication process in intensive care units. The application of active methodologies guided by the simulation strategy can help in the formation of qualified professionals and in the safer promotion of health care. The objectives to evaluate the effectiveness of the high fidelity simulation applied to nursing students in the process of administering drugs to critical patients in the intensive care setting; evaluate knowledge acquisition, satisfaction and self-confidence after the simulation. This is a prospective, single-blinded, controled clinical trial, with a quantitative approach. The sample will be composed of nursing students who are attending or have completed the discipline of critical care. The students will be randomized electronically to the experimental group, whose intervention will be guided by the high fidelity simulation method and, to the control group, the handling of static dummies / traditional teaching will be adopted as teaching strategy. Both strategies will emphasize the safety process during medication administration to critical patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit and will have an expository class dialogued prior to the intervention. Pre and post-tests will be applied at different times to evaluate the evolution of the level of knowledge and its retention and also, scales of satisfaction and self-confidence in learning. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be performed, as appropriate. It is believed that students submitted to simulation will have the opportunity to better consolidate knowledge during the training process, improve clinical and critical thinking, and decision-making, which will positively influence the safety of critically ill patients of the intensive care unit.