Real-time decision-making in chronic illness branching simulation.

The United States (US) is facing a rapidly aging population that suffers from multiple chronic illnesses. To prepare nursing students to care for this increasingly complex, aging population nurse educators must develop curricula that incorporate both current technology and cutting-edge teaching pedagogies that facilitate development of real-time decision-making skills. Branching scenarios are simulations that mimic real-life; rapidly changing patient conditions unfold based on actual student decision-making. This challenges learners to adapt the nursing process based on subjective and objective assessments and utilize current technology to analyze multiple sources of patient data. As nursing students make decisions and act, the scenario branches, presenting them with immediate feedback on the outcomes. Branching simulation scenario designs incorporate multiple different mobile technologies with decision-support software that nursing students may access, such as real-time decision-support algorithms, evidence-based guidelines, telehealth, medication information resources, and electronic medical records (EMRs). Faculty at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (NYU) have successfully incorporated mobile technology with decision-support software into branching simulations as a strategy to develop real-time clinical decision-making in the care of older adults with multiple chronic illnesses. 2021 mHealth. All rights reserved.