Effectiveness of clinical simulation in teaching the management of syphilis in pregnant women, partners, and children: a randomized clinical trial.
Keywords: Syphilis. Clinical Simulation. Nursing Education. Primary Health Care. Competency-Based Learning.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of clinical simulation on the cognitive performance of nursing students in scenarios involving the management of syphilis in pregnant women, their partners, and children, within the context of Primary Health Care. Method: A randomized clinical trial with a pre-test and post-test design was applied to two groups: control (dialogued exposure and skills training) and intervention (dialogued exposure, skills training, and clinical simulation). Fifty-six nursing students, regularly enrolled between the 5th and 9th semesters, participated. Participants were evaluated at four time points: before the intervention, immediately after, 20 days, and 40 days after the end of the course. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Students in the intervention group showed superior cognitive performance in the immediate and late (20 days) evaluations, with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Clinical simulation contributed to greater knowledge retention and better preparation for professional practice. Conclusion: Clinical simulation proved to be an effective teaching strategy for managing syphilis in pregnant women, partners, and children, promoting significant and consolidated learning in the short and medium term.