Development of a Realistic Simulated Meat Pad for Suturing Practice

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and evaluate an innovative realistic artificial tissue pad for suturing practice, as well as to study students’ satisfaction in suturing practice using the realistic artificial tissue pad compared to a rubber pad. The study was conducted on 30 third-year nursing students from the Faculty of Nursing, Kamphaeng Phet Rajabhat University, in the academic year 2022, selected using purposive sampling. The research instruments consisted of the innovative realistic artificial tissue pad for suturing practice created based on the ADDIE Model concept, and data collection tools for evaluating the use of the innovation, which included: (1) an artificial tissue quality assessment form created from a review of related literature, yielding a content validity index of 0.98 and a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.95; (2) a suturing confidence assessment scale; and (3) an user satisfaction assessment scale. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The comparison of means was analyzed using the dependent t-test statistic. The study period was from October 2021 to January 2022. The development of the innovative realistic artificial tissue pad for suturing practice utilized the ADDIE Model framework, which consists of 5 steps: (1) Analysis, (2) Design, (3) Development, (4) Implementation, and (5) Evaluation. The development results revealed that the feasibility, safety, practicality, and appropriateness of the innovation had an average score of more than 3.51. The quality evaluation of the realistic artificial tissue pad showed an overall high level of quality (Mean = 4.22, SD = 0.48), with the fibrous characteristic being at the highest level (Mean = 4.66, SD = 0.50), followed by flexibility at a high level (Mean = 4.22, SD = 0.44), and strength and durability against manipulation at a high level (Mean = 4.0, SD = 0.50). The results of the effectiveness study comparing the average scores of students’ confidence and satisfaction in suturing practice found that the average confidence score in suturing for the group using the innovative realistic artificial tissue pad was significantly higher than the group using the rubber pad (p<0.01). Furthermore, the satisfaction score in suturing practice for the group using the innovative realistic artificial tissue pad was significantly higher than the group using the rubber pad (p<0.01).