ASSESSING NURSE AND MIDWIFE EDUCATORS’ READINESS FOR THE USE OF SIMULATION BASED EDUCATION IN HEALTH TRAINING INSTITUTIONS IN KILIMANJARO TANZANIA
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Date
2025-03-15
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Abstract
Simulation-based education (SBE) improves students' critical thinking, clinical
reasoning, and decision-making skills. However, in Tanzania, its implementation is
hampered by a lack of organizational support and unprepared staff, with 97% of nurses
and midwifery educators using traditional didactic methods that are ineffective in
developing relevant healthcare skills. Currently, little is known about readiness for the
use of SBE in health teaching institutions in Tanzania. This study aimed to assess the
readiness of nurse/midwife educators to incorporate simulation-based education in
health training institutions in Tanzania. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study
design was employed, and it adopted a validated Simulation Culture Organization
Readiness Survey (SCORS) questionnaire with 24 items and a 5-point Likert scale. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 99 participants from selected nurses and
midwifery training institutions in Kilimanjaro. Data were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The study discovered that institutional readiness for
simulation-based education was significantly low. This was primarily due to a lack of a
clear strategic vision for simulation-based education (mean=2.79), the absence of a
written commitment to SBE (mean=2.62), and insufficient resources to support SBE
(mean=2.72). Organizations were perceived as "ready but not acting," with participants
scoring both the current state and the previous six months similarly on a scale of "73-
108": 40 (40.4%) vs. 38 (38.4%). The low levels of readiness to implement simulationbased education (SBE) in Tanzania highlight the need for a clear strategic vision by
nursing and midwifery institutions. Additionally, institutional support is required to
develop policies and allocate resources to enhance the effective adoption of SBE.