Debriefing Styles and Clinical Judgment in Nursing Students

NCT07262424 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: LCTandICTDebriefing&ClinJudge
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 110
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Simulation is a cornerstone of health sciences education, with debriefing being its most critical component for fostering clinical skills. While various debriefing styles exist, there is limited evidence comparing the effectiveness of instructor-centered (ICT) versus learner-centered (LCT) approaches, specifically on the development of clinical judgment in nursing students.

Conditions

Nursing Education; Debriefing Method; Simulation Based Learning

Keywords

Clinical Judgment; Learner-Centered Teaching; Instructor-Centered Teaching; Mixed-Methods Study; Debriefing; Nursing Education; Simulation; Randomized Controlled Trial; Undergraduate Health Education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Clinical Judgment Assessed by the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR)

  Assessment is performed using the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR), a validated 11-item tool. During a standardized practical exam (OSCE), trained evaluators will use novel structured checklists developed by the investigators for this study. A unique checklist has been specifically tailored for each OSCE scenario, designed to operationalize the LCJR by mapping observable student behaviors directly to its scoring criteria. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale (1=beginning to 4=exemplary), yielding a total score from 11 to 44. A higher score indicates a more developed level of clinical judgment. For statistical analysis, the raw score will be transformed to a 0-10 scale.

  Assessed at two time points: at Baseline (measurement taken during the first-term practical exam, prior to the intervention) and Post-Intervention (measurement taken during the final practical exam, approximately 3 months after the baseline assessment).

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Student Perceptions of the Learning Experience Assessed by Focus Group Topic Guide

  Up to 3 weeks after the final simulation session.

Study Arms (2)

Learner-Centered Debriefing (LCT)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive a debriefing guided by a learner-centered (LCT) style, where learning is a dynamic process of meaning-making, and both learners and instructors collaborate in the co-construction of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Behavioral: Learner-Centered Debriefing

Instructor-Centered Debriefing (ICT)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this group will receive a debriefing guided by an instructor-centered (ICT) style, which prioritizes the efficient transfer of information from instructors (who control the learning environments) to learners.

Behavioral: Instructor-Centered Debriefing

Interventions

Instructor-Centered Debriefing BEHAVIORAL

Two 2-hour simulation sessions followed by an instructor-centered debriefing conducted by a trained facilitator. This style is the standard practice at the institution and focuses on direct feedback and information transfer from the instructor.

Instructor-Centered Debriefing (ICT)

Learner-Centered Debriefing BEHAVIORAL

Two 2-hour simulation sessions followed by a learner-centered debriefing conducted by a trained facilitator. This style emphasizes guided reflection and co-construction of knowledge.

Learner-Centered Debriefing (LCT)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Students enrolled in the Basic Simulation Labs 2 (LBS2) course as part of their program.

You may not qualify if:

• Students who cannot participate in all phases of the study.
• Students who do not provide informed consent.
• Students who are repeating the course.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitat Internacional de Catalunya: lead

Study Sites (1)

International University of Catalonia

Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, 08195, Spain

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

• Eppich W, Cheng A. Promoting Excellence and Reflective Learning in Simulation (PEARLS): development and rationale for a blended approach to health care simulation debriefing. Simul Healthc. 2015 Apr;10(2):106-15. doi: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000072.

  PMID: 25710312 BACKGROUND

• Roman-Cereto M, Garcia-Mayor S, Kaknani-Uttumchandani S, Garcia-Gamez M, Leon-Campos A, Fernandez-Ordonez E, Ruiz-Garcia ML, Marti-Garcia C, Lopez-Leiva I, Lasater K, Morales-Asencio JM. Cultural adaptation and validation of the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric in nursing students in Spain. Nurse Educ Today. 2018 May;64:71-78. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.02.002. Epub 2018 Feb 9.

  PMID: 29459195 BACKGROUND

• Cheng A, Morse KJ, Rudolph J, Arab AA, Runnacles J, Eppich W. Learner-Centered Debriefing for Health Care Simulation Education: Lessons for Faculty Development. Simul Healthc. 2016 Feb;11(1):32-40. doi: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000136.

  PMID: 26836466 BACKGROUND

Central Study Contacts

Aleix Lopez Oganissian, MsC, PhDCandidate

CONTACT

93 504 20 00; alopezo@uic.es

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: MsC, PhdCandidate

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2025
• First Posted: December 3, 2025
• Study Start: October 10, 2025
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2026
• Study Completion: May 1, 2026
• Last Updated: December 9, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

ES (1)