Relationship between high-fidelity simulation and patient safety in prelicensure nursing education: a comprehensive review.

Advances in nursing simulation technology raise the question "Are educators feeling pressure to accommodate the learning styles of the techno-age studentry?" This integrative review evaluates the current quantitative evidence from preintervention-postintervention and control-experimental research studies related to the use of simulation in prelicensure nursing education directed at enhancing safety in nursing practice. A thorough review of the available literature using truncated search terms in several databases yielded 258 scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, of which 18 articles directly addressed the posed research question related to simulation and safety. Replete with student reports of simulation as an enjoyable learning activity, the literature does not yet support simulation over other approaches to the teaching-learning of safety competencies in nursing. Therefore, nurse educators must continue to select the most appropriate methods based on the specific course, student, or program type, with concentrated focus on competency-based safety education in nursing. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.