Nursing students' Psychological Safety in High fidelity Simulations: Development of a new scale for psychometric evaluation.

BACKGROUND

In high fidelity simulation used in an educational context, measuring the psychological safety levels of students enables the understanding and analysis of the relation between the characteristics of simulation design and the factors that create a psychologically safe environment.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a new measurement of psychological safety in simulation-based learning settings using high fidelity manikins and to validate its reliability and validity.

METHODS

This is a methodological study to develop a scale of Psychological Safety in High Fidelity Simulation. A convenience sample of 242 participants recruited from four universities in Korea was analyzed. The content validity of the scale and feasibility test were conducted to assess the scale's relevance, and comprehensiveness. An exploratory factor analysis with the principal component method and a varimax rotation, a concurrent validity analysis, and known group comparisons were conducted. Reliability was evaluated through the scale's internal consistency.

RESULTS

Four factors were extracted, and 14 items were retained for these four factors, accounting for 72% of the total variance: (1) "Dealing with uncertainty (four items)," (2) "being exposed (four items)," (3) "being unsupported (three items)," and (4) "interpersonal risk (three items)." The Psychological Safety in High Fidelity Simulation scale score exhibited a statistically significant positive correlation with the Academic Safety Assessment tool and the Educational Satisfaction Scale in Simulation scores (p 〈001). Cronbach's α was .91 and ranged from .75 to .88 for the sub-factors.

CONCLUSION

The Psychological Safety in High Fidelity Simulation scale is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the psychological safety of nursing students during high fidelity simulation. The scale reflects the nature of psychological safety based on the elements of simulation education and measures the degree to which specific guidance is useful for nursing educators fostering psychological safety in students.