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Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize research completed between 2011 and 2021 to report the current state of the science on the use of standardized patients (SPs) to teach communication skills. The research question that guided this study was, "Among health care professionals, does the use of SP methodology as a means of teaching communication skills result in improved learner knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or patient outcomes when compared with other simulation methodologies?", Design: This review was reported in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).Data SourcesFour databases (CINAHL, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, and Scopus) were searched using a combination of medical subject headings, or Mesh terms, as well as keywords to retrieve nonindexed citations.Review MethodsThe inclusion criteria were broad to complete a comprehensive search of the literature. To be eligible for inclusion, a study had to be original research that compared simulation using an SP to another simulation methodology. The study had to evaluate communication knowledge, skill, attitude, and/or patient outcome with an academic or practicing health care professional., Results: The initial database search strategy yielded 8058 citations. These results were narrowed down to 18 studies through an in-depth analysis of each article using identified inclusion criteria. The SPs were superior to role play in 1 (33%, n = 3) study where knowledge was evaluated, 6 (75%, n = 8) studies where skills were evaluated, and 1 (20%, n = 5) study where attitude was evaluated. The SPs were compared with a manikin in 5 studies. The SPs were superior to a manikin in 3 (60%, n = 5) studies where knowledge was measured and in 1 (100%, n = 1) study where attitude was measured. No study measured the outcome knowledge of an SP to a manikin. Finally, SPs were compared with a virtual SP in 3 studies. When knowledge was evaluated, SPs were superior to a virtual SP in 1 study (100%, n = 1). When skills were evaluated, SPs were superior to a virtual SP in 1 study (50%, n = 2), and when attitude was evaluated, SPs were superior to a virtual SP in no study (0%, n = 2). No study evaluated patient outcomes in the comparison of an SP to another simulation methodology., Conclusions: Studies show a weak indication that SP-based education is superior to other simulation methodologies in most contexts. However more rigorous studies with larger sample sizes, validated instruments, and effects on patient outcomes are needed to definitively determine the optimal method/modality for teaching communication to health care professionals., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Simulation in Healthcare.)

Background: Collaboration and decision making among nursing students are essential competencies in nursing education. However, how students collaborate and make decisions in simulation is a complex phenomenon and not well understood. This study aimed to develop a framework that describes peer collaborative clinical decision making (PCCDM) among nursing students in simulation. Method: Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory method was used. The sample included 32 participants (16 dyads) from two nursing programs. Results: The PCCDM framework described three interrelated functional domains (cognition, behavior, and emotion) experienced through three interrelated processes (awareness, communication, and regulation), alternating between individual and collaborative spaces and changing across time according to the simulation's acuity levels. Conclusion: The PCCDM framework provides a model that reflects how these processes unfold over time in simulations, which can be applied in nursing simulation, classroom, and clinical settings that require students to make collaborative decisions. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(7):435–443.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]