Debriefing Styles and Clinical Judgment in Nursing Students

Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Debriefing Method; Nursing Education; Simulation Based Learning

Treatments: Behavioral: Instructor-Centered Debriefing; Behavioral: Learner-Centered Debriefing

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07262424

LCTandICTDebriefing&ClinJudge

Details and patient eligibility

About

Simulation is a cornerstone of health sciences education, with debriefing being its most critical component for fostering clinical skills. While various debriefing styles exist, there is limited evidence comparing the effectiveness of instructor-centered (ICT) versus learner-centered (LCT) approaches, specifically on the development of clinical judgment in nursing students.

Full description

Several studies suggest a general preference for a Learner-Centered (LCT) style during simulation debriefing. However, existing literature and expert opinion often recommend an Instructor-Centered (ICT) style for novice learners or in time-limited situations. It is critical to note that these recommendations are not consistently based on robust scientific evidence, highlighting a significant gap in nursing education research. This study is designed to address this gap by systematically evaluating the impact of ICT versus LCT debriefing on the acquisition of clinical judgment in undergraduate nursing students-a cornerstone competency for professional practice.

The study's central hypothesis is: "The debriefing style, whether instructor-centered (ICT) or learner-centered (LCT), differently impacts students' learning process in clinical judgment."

To test this hypothesis, the study employs a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. The initial quantitative phase consists of a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of the two debriefing styles. This will be followed by a qualitative phase, utilizing focus groups, to explore the students' perceptions and experiences, thereby providing a deeper, contextual explanation for the quantitative findings.

To ensure the integrity of the intervention, methodological fidelity will be rigorously monitored. The distinction between the ICT and LCT styles will be verified through objective measures, including the analysis of faculty-to-student talk-time ratios and the mapping of conversation patterns (sociograms) during debriefing sessions. This ensures that the observed differences in learning can be confidently attributed to the assigned debriefing style. The integration of both quantitative and qualitative data will yield a comprehensive understanding of how different pedagogical approaches in simulation debriefing influence the complex process of clinical judgment development.

Enrollment: 110 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

-Students enrolled in the Basic Simulation Labs 2 (LBS2) course as part of their program.

Exclusion criteria

• Students who cannot participate in all phases of the study.
• Students who do not provide informed consent.
• Students who are repeating the course.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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110 participants in 2 patient groups

Learner-Centered Debriefing (LCT)

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will receive a debriefing guided by a learner-centered (LCT) style, where learning is a dynamic process of meaning-making, and both learners and instructors collaborate in the co-construction of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Learner-Centered Debriefing

Instructor-Centered Debriefing (ICT)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants in this group will receive a debriefing guided by an instructor-centered (ICT) style, which prioritizes the efficient transfer of information from instructors (who control the learning environments) to learners.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Instructor-Centered Debriefing