Could fake patients make better nurses? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT07448168
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether using actors trained to act like patients (standardized patient simulation) helps nursing students improve their assessment and diagnosis skills. Sixty first-year nursing students will be split into two groups: one gets simulation training, the other gets traditional lectures. Researchers will compare their skills using tests and surveys to see which method works better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Standardized patient simulation-based training
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could show that simulation training helps nursing students learn assessment and diagnosis skills better than traditional lectures.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 60 students at one university, so results may not apply broadly. It measures skills in a test setting, not real patient outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Mar 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * First-year nursing student * Successfully completed the Fundamentals of Nursing I course * Currently enrolled in the Fundamentals of Nursing II course * Aged 18 years or older * Voluntary agreement to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Previously completed the Fundamentals of Nursing II course * Withdrawal from the study for any reason * Failure to complete the post-test assessment
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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