What can be improved in learning to care for people with autism? A qualitative study based on clinical nursing simulation

Abstract

Aim/objective The aim of this study was to identify the main patterns of errors that 4th year nursing students made in simulated clinical practice with scenarios of care for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Background Clinical simulation currently plays a major role in the training of nursing students and provides the participants with the opportunity to practice and develop their clinical sills with a pediatric patient diagnosed with ASD. Design A retrospective longitudinal qualitative study was performed. Methods Content analysis of the existing debriefing records from a period of 7 academic years (2016–2022) was carried out. The scenario was simulated by a standardized patient diagnosed with ASD, with 23 groups of nursing students. Results The results showed different patterns of errors. These patterns were grouped into 1 main category (weaknesses) and 5 major subcategories: clinical, communication, knowledge about ASD, emotions, and behavior towards parents. The most repeated errors were excessive use of verbal communication, abundant stimuli, low demand for information from primary caregivers, low demand for information about the child's emotions and interests, and a lack of knowledge of the profile of the child with ASD. Conclusion From the findings of this study, we can highlight the lack of training that students received on the practical approach for providing care to these individuals. It has also been inferred in this study that clinical simulation is a tool that favors reflection and experiential learning for students when they are faced with caring for people with ASD.