Abstract
Introduction: Nursing students do not feel adequately prepared to care for patients at the end of life (EOL) (Yoong et al., 2023). Current EOL education focuses on students’ learning outcomes instead of their psychological needs (Harder & Harwood, 2019). This is the first study to compare the impact of debriefing methods on psychological outcomes in EOL nursing education.
Purpose: Guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory, this study examined the impact of the Trauma-informed, Psychologically Safe (TiPS) debriefing method on coping with death, attitudes toward care of the dying, and debriefing experience in undergraduate nursing students who either actively participated in or observed an end-of-life simulation.
Methods: The study used a multi-site, quasi-experimental, two-group, pretest-posttest design. A convenience sample of 145 senior undergraduate nursing students either actively participated in (n = 60) or observed (n = 85) an innovative EOL simulation and then debriefed using either the TiPS or the Plus-Delta method. Data were collected at baseline and immediately post-intervention using the Coping with Death Scale- Short Version, Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying- Form B, and the Debriefing Experience Scale.
Results: There was a significant increase in coping with death (p < .05) and attitudes toward care of the dying (p < .05) in both debriefing groups after the intervention. Students in the TiPS group had significantly higher coping with death scores (p = .046) and significantly better debriefing experiences (p <.001) than students in the Plus-Delta group. There was no significant difference in any of the outcomes between active participants and observers, indicating that psychological outcomes can be supported through structured debriefing regardless of role.
Conclusion: Nurse educators can feel confident in incorporating the TiPS method into simulations focused on psychological outcomes. Additionally, simulation programs can maximize their resources by including observers, provided all students participate in the same debriefing.
Notes
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Sigma Membership
Non-member
Lead Author Affiliation
Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Simulation, Patient Simulation, Simulations, Hospice, Palliative Care, End-of-Life Care, Terminal Care, Outcomes of Education, Stress and Coping, Psychological Stress, Trauma, Conceptual Framework
Recommended Citation
Wentzel, Jennifer A.; Steele, Julie; and Hensel, Desireé, "Impact of Debriefing Methods on Psychological Outcomes in End-of-Life Simulation" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 118.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/118
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-03
Impact of Debriefing Methods on Psychological Outcomes in End-of-Life Simulation
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Introduction: Nursing students do not feel adequately prepared to care for patients at the end of life (EOL) (Yoong et al., 2023). Current EOL education focuses on students’ learning outcomes instead of their psychological needs (Harder & Harwood, 2019). This is the first study to compare the impact of debriefing methods on psychological outcomes in EOL nursing education.
Purpose: Guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory, this study examined the impact of the Trauma-informed, Psychologically Safe (TiPS) debriefing method on coping with death, attitudes toward care of the dying, and debriefing experience in undergraduate nursing students who either actively participated in or observed an end-of-life simulation.
Methods: The study used a multi-site, quasi-experimental, two-group, pretest-posttest design. A convenience sample of 145 senior undergraduate nursing students either actively participated in (n = 60) or observed (n = 85) an innovative EOL simulation and then debriefed using either the TiPS or the Plus-Delta method. Data were collected at baseline and immediately post-intervention using the Coping with Death Scale- Short Version, Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying- Form B, and the Debriefing Experience Scale.
Results: There was a significant increase in coping with death (p < .05) and attitudes toward care of the dying (p < .05) in both debriefing groups after the intervention. Students in the TiPS group had significantly higher coping with death scores (p = .046) and significantly better debriefing experiences (p <.001) than students in the Plus-Delta group. There was no significant difference in any of the outcomes between active participants and observers, indicating that psychological outcomes can be supported through structured debriefing regardless of role.
Conclusion: Nurse educators can feel confident in incorporating the TiPS method into simulations focused on psychological outcomes. Additionally, simulation programs can maximize their resources by including observers, provided all students participate in the same debriefing.
Description
This study compared the impact of the Trauma-informed, Psychologically Safe (TiPS) debriefing method with traditional debriefing on psychological outcomes and experiences in undergraduate nursing students who either actively participated or observed an end-of-life simulation. Nursing programs can feel confident in incorporating TiPS as an emotionally focused debriefing strategy while also maximizing their resources by including multiple observers alongside active participants.