59 Experience of avatar-based simulation training for nursing students in advanced care planning conversations

<h3>Background</h3> 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. Avatar-based simulations provide an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in and prepare for these sensitive conversations. <h3>Aim</h3> The proposed project aims to explore nursing students’ experiences using avatar-based simulation in initial ACP conversations. <h3>Method</h3> A qualitative method was used to explore nursing students’ experiences of the avatar-assisted ACP conversation. Thirty--minute one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted after two Avatar-based simulation sessions to explore nursing students’ experience of using Avatar in ACP conversations and the difficulties and challenges they encountered in the conversations. <h3>Results</h3> While data collection is ongoing, preliminary findings on nursing students’ expectations and experience of using Avatar in ACP conversations will be available in June.