Application of high-fidelity simulation training based on Kolb’s learning cycle theory in the competence training of anesthesia nurses: a pilot study

With the establishment of anesthesia monitoring nurse positions in China, anesthesia nursing entails higher risks and demands stronger specialist competencies, requiring targeted training. While simulation training effectively improves nurse competency, studies on high-fidelity simulation for anesthesia nurses grounded in established learning theory remain scarce. Kolb’s experiential learning cycle theory is widely used in medical simulation, yet its application to anesthesia nurse training is understudied in China. This pilot study evaluated the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of a high-fidelity simulation intervention structured around Kolb’s four-stage cycle for improving theoretical knowledge and emergency response competency. Sixteen anesthesia nurses from a single university-affiliated tertiary hospital were enrolled in a single-group pre-test/post-test design. Participants completed theoretical and simulation-based emergency capability assessments before and after a structured workshop aligned with Kolb’s four phases—Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation—using the Stanford University Operating Room Emergency Manual bradycardia protocol. Paired-samples t-tests revealed significant improvements in theoretical knowledge (junior: t = 7.87, p = 0.0001, g = 2.47; senior: t = 2.89, p = 0.023, g = 0.91) and emergency response capability (junior: t = 16.92, p < 0.0001, g = 5.32; senior: t = 9.78, p < 0.0001, g = 3.07). Full-sample theoretical scores rose from 53.38 ± 10.61 to 74.75 ± 11.98 (t = 6.14, p < 0.0001, g = 1.46), and simulation scores from 28.50 ± 5.34 to 48.69 ± 3.44 (t = 14.74, p < 0.0001, g = 3.50). Grade distributions shifted from 87.5% unqualified pre-intervention to 75.0% good and 6.3% excellent post-intervention. Post-intervention scores did not differ by seniority (theoretical: t = − 1.52, p = 0.15; simulation: t = − 0.79, p = 0.44), suggesting broad applicability. Teaching satisfaction was high (93.75% strong endorsement). These findings suggest that a Kolb-structured lecture-and-simulation workshop was associated with substantial immediate improvements in knowledge and emergency response competency; however, the single-group design, absence of a control group, small sample, and lack of follow-up preclude causal attribution. Confirmation in a larger RCT with validated instruments and retention assessments is warranted.