Staff Profiles

Journal articles

• Stayt LC, Merriman C, Ricketts B, Morton S, Simpson T, 'Recognizing and managing a deteriorating patient: a randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of clinical simulation in improving clinical performance in undergraduate nursing students'
  Journal of Advanced Nursing 71 (11) (2015) pp.2563-2574
  ISSN: 0309-2402 eISSN: 1365-2648
  Abstract

  Aims

  To report the results of a randomised controlled trial which explored the effectiveness of clinical simulation in improving the clinical performance of recognising and managing an adult deteriorating patient in hospital.

  Background

  There is evidence that final year undergraduate nurses may lack the knowledge, clinical skills and situation awareness required to competently manage a deteriorating patient in hospital. The effectiveness of clinical simulation as an educational strategy to teach the skills required to recognise and effectively manage the early signs of clinical deterioration needs to be evaluated.

  Method

  This was a two centre, randomised, controlled trial with single blinded assessments. Data were collected in July 2013. Ninety- eight first year nursing students were randomised either into a control group where they received a traditional classroom lecture, or an intervention group where they received simulation training. Participants completed a pre and post- intervention objective structured clinical examination. General Perceived Self Efficacy and Self-Reported Competency scores were measured before and after the intervention. Student satisfaction with teaching was surveyed after the teaching intervention.

  Results

  The intervention group performed significantly better in the objective structured clinical examination after their simulation training. General Perceived Self Efficacy and Self-Reported Competency were not correlated with performance. There was no significant difference in the post intervention General Perceived Self Efficacy and Self-Reported Competency scores between the control and intervention group. The intervention group were significantly more satisfied with their teaching method.

  Conclusion

  Simulation based education may be an effective educational strategy to teach nurses the necessary skills to effectively recognise and manage a deteriorating patient.

  Website 
• Merriman C, Stayt L and Ricketts B, 'Comparing the Effectiveness of Clinical Simulation versus Didactic Methods to Teach Undergraduate Adult Nursing Students to Recognize and Assess the Deteriorating Patient.'
  Clinical Simulation in Nursing 10 (2014) pp.119-127
  ISSN: 1876-1399
  Abstract

  Background. Clinical simulation in undergraduate nursing programs is prevalent. It is unclear if skills taught by simulation are effectively transferred into clinical practice. This study evaluated the effectiveness of clinical simulation compared with classroom teaching in teaching the assessment of the deteriorating patient. Methods. This study used a phase II, single, randomized, controlled trial with single-blinded assessments. Students were randomly assigned to either a control or an experimental group. Participants underwent pre and post intervention Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) with objective performance criteria. Participants completed self-reported competence and self-efficacy questionnaires both pre- and post-test OSCE and a student satisfaction form. Results. The experimental group displayed a significantly better performance on post intervention OSCE. There was no correlation between self-reported confidence and self-efficacy and OSCE performance. Participants who received clinical simulation teaching were significantly more satisfied with their teaching experience. Conclusion. The study suggests that clinical simulation is a more effective teaching strategy than classroom teaching for the development of the assessment skills of the deteriorating patient.
  

  Website 
• Ricketts B Merriman C Stayt L, 'Simulated practice learning in a pre-registration nursing programme'
  British Journal of Nursing 21 (7) (2012)
  ISSN: 0966-0461
  
• Massey D, Ricketts B, 'Developing Ward Nurses' Critical Care skills'
  Nursing in Critical Care 7 (6) (2002) pp.290-295
  ISSN: 1362-1017 eISSN: 1478-5153
  

Book chapters

• Ricketts B, 'Personal Hygiene, Bed Bath, Oral Care' in Developing Healthcare Skills through Simulation, Matthew Aldridge (2012)
  

Reviews

• Ricketts B, review of The Role of Simulation for Learning Within Pre-registration Nursing Education - a Literature Review, in Nurse Education Today 31 (2011) pp.650-654ISSN: 0260-6917
  Website