Preparing Student Nurses for the Future of Wound Management: Telemedicine in a Simulated Learning Environment

INTRODUCTION The government of Denmark has initiated targeted telemedicine trials for routine care to evaluate the efficacy of telemedicine in clinical practice. The goal in the near future is for 80% of municipalities to offer telemedical wound assessment to 40% of relevant patients1. This initiative is supported by the Danish Society for Wound Healing, which aims to facilitate the use of telemedicine throughout Denmark2. Surveys taken in Denmark indicate that patients and healthcare staff have positive attitudes towards telemedicine, even though staff face challenges related to the technology. It has been shown that staff experience difficulty with the technology related to telemedicine, thus preparing staff to use this technology is important3. This supports the need to prepare nursing students to use this technology and suggests that it is important to integrate elements of telemedicine early during general training and during wound management training. The aim of this project was to integrate the concept of telemedicine for wound care into a simulation-based class for undergraduate student nurses and to evaluate their experiences. Since 2013, undergraduate student nurses have taken a simulation-based course in chronic wound management4, but telemedicine was excluded from the student learning outcomes. Although increased knowledge of wound healing does not automatically lead to changes in clinical practice5, studies have shown that simulations improve learning outcomes, increase critical reflection, improve patient safety, and enhance practical skills6-9. Simulation has been used to educate healthcare staff for decades10 and has been defined as “A dynamic process involving the creation of a hypothetical opportunity that incorporates an authentic representation of reality, facilitates active student engagement, and integrates the complexities of practical and theoretical learning with the opportunity for repetition, feedback and reflection11. Simulations include a variety of options, such as anatomical models, task trainABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The Danish Society for Wound Healing advocates for the use of telemedicine in chronic wound management. It is crucial that student nurses are prepared for the technological demands of the future so that they will be competent to manage chronic wounds.