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Protocol for Scoping Review on Digital Patient Simulation Among Nursing Students

Protocol for Scoping Review on Digital Patient Simulation Among Nursing Students
Photo by Tim Cooper / Unsplash
Key Takeaway
Note that this is a protocol with no results; clinical guidance is unavailable until the review is completed.

This publication represents a protocol for a scoping review rather than a completed study or meta-analysis. The planned scope focuses on the use of clinical simulation with digital patients within the context of nursing students. As a protocol, this document outlines the intended methodology but does not present data, findings, or conclusions from the review itself. It serves as a preliminary record of the research plan.

No primary or secondary outcomes are reported in this text. The sample size for the included studies within the scoping review is not reported, and no specific results regarding educational effectiveness or clinical performance are available. Safety data, including adverse events, discontinuations, and tolerability, are also not reported. Consequently, no pooled effect sizes or statistical analyses can be summarized from this source. The absence of numerical data prevents any quantitative assessment of the intervention.

The authors have not reported specific limitations regarding the protocol design or potential biases in the planned search strategy. Similarly, practice relevance is not reported, meaning clinical applicability cannot be assessed at this stage. Funding or conflicts of interest are not reported, which limits the ability to evaluate potential industry influence on the upcoming review. These missing details are standard for protocols but restrict immediate utility.

Clinicians should recognize that this document serves as a registration or planning statement for future evidence synthesis. It does not provide actionable clinical guidance or evidence-based recommendations at this time. Further updates will be required once the scoping review is completed and results are published to inform practice. Until then, the evidence base remains incomplete and uncertain for clinical decision-making.

Study Details

Study typeSystematic review
EvidenceLevel 1
PublishedApr 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
Clinical simulation represents an emerging educational technology delivered through software-based platforms, accessible via computers or head-mounted displays. It is characterized as a partially immersive, screen-mediated experience in which learners are placed in simulated roles that require the execution of psychomotor actions, clinical decision-making, and interpersonal communication skills. This scoping review protocol follows the methodological guidance of the Joanna Briggs Institute and adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Comprehensive searches will be conducted across the following electronic databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). In addition, gray literature sources will be explored through national and international repositories, including the Catalogue of Theses and Dissertations of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the Electronic Theses Online Service (EthOS), the Open Access Scientific Repository of Portugal (RCAAP), the National ETD Portal, Theses Canada, the Portal de Tesis Latinoamericanas, and WorldCat Dissertations and Theses. The review seeks to address the question: “What evidence exists regarding the use of clinical simulation with digital patients in the teaching and learning process of nursing students?” Eligible sources will include studies with full-text availability, encompassing peer-reviewed research articles, theses, dissertations, and other relevant documents, without restrictions related to geographic location, publication date, or language. Data will be charted using a customized extraction form based on Joanna Briggs Institute recommendations. Quantitative findings will be summarized using descriptive statistical methods, while qualitative evidence will be examined through thematic analysis. Ethical approval is not required. Given the methodological nature of this study, formal ethical approval is not required. The findings are intended for dissemination through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentation at scientific conferences. To promote transparency and reinforce the originality of the review, this protocol has been prospectively registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF). Protocol registration in the open science framework (OSF): DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/GAXR6
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