Efficacy of a video during bed bath simulation on improving the performance of psychomotor skills of nursing undergraduates: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Studies have shown the efficacy of videos used in isolation to retain knowledge, acquire skills, and establish students' self-confidence. A few studies have investigated the efficacy of videos associated with simulations, while none of these studies have addressed bed bathing, one of the first procedures learned by nursing students.

Objective: To test the efficacy of a video-assisted bed bath simulation on improving the performance of psychomotor skills of undergraduate nursing students.

Design: A randomized clinical trial.

Setting: A Teaching Skills and Simulation Center at a Federal University in Brazil.

Participants: All students regularly enrolled in the second year of the nursing undergraduate program at a Federal University, aged 18 years old, who had never performed a bed bath and had attended a theoretical class addressing the procedure (n = 56).

Methods: The students were randomized into two groups: the Control group (n = 28) simulated a bed bath with the instructions of a tutor, while the Intervention group (n = 28) watched a video during the bed bathing simulation, under the supervision of a tutor. The performance of students concerning bed bathing was assessed twice (before and after the simulation) using a previously validated instrument.

Results: The psychomotor skills of both groups significantly improved in the second assessment, and the Intervention group scored higher (p = 0.003).

Conclusions: The use of a video during bed bath simulations was efficacious for improving the performance of psychomotor skills of undergraduate nursing students.