The use of simulation-based education in cancer care: a scoping review

Continuing education for cancer care providers is essential for promoting high-quality patient care. Simulation-based education can be an effective strategy to educate healthcare professionals; however, there is a lack of synthesized evidence available to inform the delivery of simulation-based education for nurses and physicians across the cancer care continuum. This scoping review aimed to collate and synthesize the literature regarding how simulation has been reported to educate nurses and physicians about cancer care. Scoping review following the JBI methodology. Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsycINFO were searched until July 2021. Unpublished literature was searched using ResearchGate, OpenGrey and open access theses and dissertation databases. Articles were eligible if they discussed how simulation has been utilized to educate nurses and physicians about any aspect of cancer care. Two independent reviewers screened the references, extracted and analysed the data. In total, 19 studies were included. When compared to previous reviews, our findings showed an increase in the use of virtual simulation; however, most interventions reported in-person simulation approaches and focused on improving skills (e.g. practical, communication), knowledge, confidence or decision-making for physicians and nurses caring for patients with a wide variety of cancers. Overall, simulation demonstrated positive results in educating nurses and physicians across the cancer care continuum through improved knowledge, skills and satisfaction. However, simulation interventions can be time-consuming and require significant resources for effective implementation. Although simulation-based education demonstrated promise to educate nurses and physicians across the cancer continuum, it requires a significant allocation of resources to develop and implement these educational strategies. Educators and researchers should be aware of these challenges when planning and implementing simulation-based educational strategies.