Breaking Bad News via Telehealth: Simulation Training for Nurse Practitioner Students.

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrated educators must consider students' future practice will involve patient communication via telehealth, including breaking bad news.

METHOD

This mixed-methods analysis was conducted among 33 nurse practitioner (NP) students at two universities. Questionnaires were analyzed before and after a simulation training session with standardized patients to determine students' perceptions, learning satisfaction, confidence, and self-rated preparedness for delivering bad news via telehealth.

RESULTS

Students' self-rated levels of preparedness for delivering bad news were higher after participating in the simulation. Students found the teaching methods to be effective, enjoyable, motivating, and suitable to individual learning styles. Two themes emerged that described students' perceptions of the experience: valuable simulation processes and multifaceted learning applicable to future NP practice.

CONCLUSION

Breaking bad news via virtual platforms is new and challenging. Findings suggest this simulation experience provided a valuable tool for augmenting didactic training for NP students. .