Abstract
Background: End-of-life (EOL) care is a vital yet often underemphasized component of nursing education. Limited clinical opportunities to engage with dying patients can leave nursing students unprepared to provide compassionate care. High-fidelity simulation provides an evidence-based, immersive learning environment that allows students to practice communication, decision-making, and emotional responses in a safe setting.
Research Question/Aims: This study aimed to determine whether participation in a high-fidelity simulation focused on EOL care would improve nursing students’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients. It was hypothesized that simulation participation would positively impact student attitudes as measured by a validated instrument.
Methods: A quantitative pretest–posttest design was utilized with a convenience sample of 14 prelicensure nursing students. Students completed the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale, Form B (FATCOD-B) immediately before and after participating in a high-fidelity EOL simulation. The simulation included patient deterioration, family interaction, and care transitions. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test to assess changes in median scores.
Results: Median FATCOD-B scores improved from 117.5 pre-intervention to 123 post-intervention. Statistical analysis revealed a significant improvement in student attitudes (z = -2.98, n = 14, p < .05), with a small effect size (r = .11). These results supported the study hypothesis, indicating that high-fidelity simulation is effective in improving attitudes toward EOL care.
Conclusion: High-fidelity simulation positively influenced nursing students’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Even a single exposure demonstrated measurable change, suggesting that simulation can address educational gaps in EOL training. Integration of structured EOL simulations into nursing curricula may better prepare students to provide empathetic, patient-centered care to dying individuals and their families.
Notes
Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.
References included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Chi Alpha at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Pretest-Posttest
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Simulation, Hospice, Palliative, End-of-Life, Implementation Science
Recommended Citation
Joyner, Meredith, "Impact of High-Fidelity Simulation on Nursing Students’ Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 7.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/7
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
2026-07-20
Impact of High-Fidelity Simulation on Nursing Students’ Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: End-of-life (EOL) care is a vital yet often underemphasized component of nursing education. Limited clinical opportunities to engage with dying patients can leave nursing students unprepared to provide compassionate care. High-fidelity simulation provides an evidence-based, immersive learning environment that allows students to practice communication, decision-making, and emotional responses in a safe setting.
Research Question/Aims: This study aimed to determine whether participation in a high-fidelity simulation focused on EOL care would improve nursing students’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients. It was hypothesized that simulation participation would positively impact student attitudes as measured by a validated instrument.
Methods: A quantitative pretest–posttest design was utilized with a convenience sample of 14 prelicensure nursing students. Students completed the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale, Form B (FATCOD-B) immediately before and after participating in a high-fidelity EOL simulation. The simulation included patient deterioration, family interaction, and care transitions. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test to assess changes in median scores.
Results: Median FATCOD-B scores improved from 117.5 pre-intervention to 123 post-intervention. Statistical analysis revealed a significant improvement in student attitudes (z = -2.98, n = 14, p < .05), with a small effect size (r = .11). These results supported the study hypothesis, indicating that high-fidelity simulation is effective in improving attitudes toward EOL care.
Conclusion: High-fidelity simulation positively influenced nursing students’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Even a single exposure demonstrated measurable change, suggesting that simulation can address educational gaps in EOL training. Integration of structured EOL simulations into nursing curricula may better prepare students to provide empathetic, patient-centered care to dying individuals and their families.
Description
Focus: Academic
Completed Work/Project
This study examined the effect of high-fidelity simulation on nursing students’ attitudes toward end-of-life care. Using a pretest–posttest design with the FATCOD-B scale, 14 students demonstrated a significant improvement in attitudes after participating in a simulated patient decline scenario. Findings suggest that simulation is an effective strategy to enhance student readiness for compassionate end-of-life care, with implications for nursing education, practice, and policy.