Use of simulation in postgraduate and continuing education nursing programs: A scoping review protocol

Objectives: To map scientific knowledge on the use of simulation in postgraduate and continuing education nursing programs. Introduction: Simulation is an important teaching-learning tool. It has been established as an effective strategy for nursing training, particularly with respect to developing the knowledge, skills, and initiative necessary for professional nursing practice. However, there is limited evidence on the usefulness of simulation in postgraduate and continuing education nursing programs, especially with respect to training, clinical fields, studied themes, types of simulation interventions, characteristics of simulation (fidelity), result assessment tools and strategies, and study outcomes. Inclusion criteria: This review will consider all studies, regardless of methodological design, related to the use of simulation in postgraduate or continuing education nursing programs, in either training or real clinical settings, in any language, without considering the time limits to select publications. Methods: The review will be conducted according to the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. An online database search will be performed in MEDLINE/PubMed®, CINAHL, Scopus®, LILACS, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science Core Collection and the gray literature in ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis, OpenGrey, Google Scholar, CAPES Thesis Bank (Brazil), the Brazilian Electronic Theses and Dissertations Digital Library, and the Portuguese Open Access Science Repository. Data selection and extraction will be conducted independently by two researchers in a personalized form. Data synthesis and analysis will be descriptively presented according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for the Scoping Review Checklist.