Lessons learned through developing and implementing simulation-based education in nursing education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Based on the authors’ experiences, this paper aims to describe and reflect on the project of developing and implementing simulation-based education in two nursing education programmes in Tanzania and Madagascar.

The project lasted from August 2017 to December 2019. The essential aspects that contributed to the project’s achievements were the school’s interest in developing and implementing simulation-based education and the many opportunities for sharing theoretical knowledge and practicing simulation. Notably, the teachers adapted simulation-based education as a pedagogical method to their own context, developing scenarios related to their local culture and national curriculum. In the debriefing session, the teachers asked open-ended questions to promote reflection, however, they mostly used directive feedback to highlight performance issues and correct performance gaps. The students also expected directives to learn from their mistakes.

Overall, the reflection on the experience may provide new insights into developing and implementing simulation-based education in low-resource settings.