Enhancing Empathy and Self-Awareness in Psychiatric Nursing Students Through High-Fidelity Simulation: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: Positive patient outcomes result from increased empathy and self-awareness. One of the strategies utilized to improve empathy and self-awareness was a high-fidelity simulation (HFS). Purpose: This study aimed to see how HFS impacted students? empathy and self-awareness before and after HFS intervention in Jordanian university psychiatric nursing classes. Methods: A quasi-experimental research with a pretest?posttest design was conducted on 235 undergraduate students registered in a psychiatric course at Al al-Bayt University?s Faculty of Nursing from September to December 2023. The HFS was held in the form of 5?weeks? scenarios. The study data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, The Empathy Toward the Mentally Ill Scale and the Self-Consciousness Scale: A Revised Version. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, and standard deviation), and inferential statistics (t-test). Results: Before and after the HFS intervention, a significant difference in students? empathy (t234?=??26.90, p < 0.001) and self-awareness (t234?=??19.70, p < 0.001) was found. Conclusions: HFS interventions, particularly in psychiatric courses, can be used to close the gap in nursing education and enhance traditional clinical learning.