Nurse Practitioner Student Perceptions of a Pilot Simulated Gerontologic Telehealth Visit

Background: Recently published nurse practitioner (NP) education organization recommendations and telehealth equipment acquisition necessitated integration of telehealth simulation into NP curricula at a large, public university. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated rapid uptake of telehealth accelerated the need for evidence-supported research in telehealth simulation in NP education. Method: A formative gerontologic simulation scenario using telehealth robot technology was developed by synthesizing best practice guidelines for simulation and telehealth delivery. The simulated telehealth visit used standardized patients and embedded participants. Primary care NP students' perceptions of simulation effectiveness, situational realism, and telehealth robot usability were evaluated using three quantitative tools. Results: Thirty-three primary care Doctor of Nursing Practice students participated in this gerontologic telehealth simulation. Students found the simulation to be effective and realistic, and found the telehealth robot technology to be usable. Conclusion: NP students positively evaluated this telehealth simulation experience. Additional research is needed on evidence-based teaching strategies to guide faculty in teaching and evaluating telehealth content.