Ruth Wei

Advance care planning (ACP) is “a process that supports adults at any age or stage of health in understanding their health condition and sharing their values, life goals, and preferences regarding medical care¹”. ACP conversations enable the best care provisions for individuals by identifying their preferences and values salient to end-of-life decision-making. Nurses are pivotal in raising ACP awareness and leading ACP conversations on end-of-life decision-making. However, nurses and nursing students feel ill-prepared and uncomfortable and lack confidence in initiating ACP conversations with patients and families due to a lack of exposure to ACP conversations, the difficulty of organising ACP training at clinical sites and the lack of ACP training in the current nursing curriculum^2,3.

Avatar-based simulations provide an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in and prepare for these sensitive conversations. Virtual simulations have been investigated for their potential benefits in nursing education in areas such as pharmacology,⁴ interview skills,⁵ and clinical handover⁶ with positive findings, including making the learning more engaging and realistic and increasing communication skills. However, studies have yet to be identified that explore the use of avatar-based simulations in preparing health professionals for ACP conversations. Consequently, this project aims to explore ACP conversations in avatar-based simulations among nursing students. We anticipate these experiences will enhance their feelings of safety, engagement, competency and empowerment, resulting in graduates acquiring real-world transferrable communication skills that extend to a diverse range of people across Australian society in the specialist area of ACP.