Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 30:503–508, 2009 Copyright © Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN: 0161-2840 print/ 1096-4673 online DOI: 10.1080/01612840802601366 Communication and Human Patient Simulation in Psychiatric Nursing Kirstyn Kameg, DNP, CRNP, BC Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, USA Ann M. Mitchell, PhD, RN, FAAN University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA John Clochesy, PhD, RN, FAAN Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Valerie M. Howard, EdD, RN Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, USA Jane Suresky, ND, APRN, BC Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Communication is an integral component of nursing educa- tion and has been shown to improve health outcomes, patient compliance, and patient satisfaction. Psychiatric nursing empha- sizes knowledge and utilization of communication skills. Nursing students often express anxiety and lack of confidence regarding communicating with patients diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses. Human patient simulation is one method that may be used for stu- dents to practice and become proficient with communication skills in a simulated environment. The authors of this article provide an overview of communication and psychiatric nursing as well as review of the current research related to the use of human patient simulation in nursing education. Communication is an integral component of nursing educa- tion and has recently been a focus of attention both nationally and internationally. Effective communication has been shown to improve health outcomes, patient compliance, and patient sat- isfaction (Stewart, 1995; Williams, Weinman, & Dale, 1998). The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organi- zations (JCAHO) reported that communication issues were the root cause of approximately 65% of the 2,966 sentinel events identified from 1995 to 2004 (JCAHO, 2005). Communication failures are increasingly being implicated as factors influencing patient safety (Chassin & Becher, 2002; Helmreich & Merritt, 1998; Institute of Medicine, 2000). Today medical care involves Address correspondence to Kirstyn Kameg, Robert Morris Uni- versity, School of Nursing, 6001 University Blvd., Moon Township, 15108. E-mail: kameg@rmu.edu shorter hospital stays, increased patient acuity, and coordination of care by numerous specialists. These complex changes affect both nurses and nurse educators and have made it necessary for nurse educators to ensure that nursing students possess the knowledge and skills to effectively communicate with patients, their families, and other members of the healthcare team. Psychiatric nursing is an area of specialization within nursing curricula that emphasizes knowledge and utilization of commu- nication skills. Other nursing specialties provide students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and psychomotor skills that they have acquired in the didactic component of the class to patients experiencing both acute and chronic medical problems in the clinical setting. Because clients hospitalized in acute psy- chiatric settings are generally medically stable, students are provided with the opportunity to focus on utilizing commu- nication skills to establish a therapeutic relationship; however, there have been numerous studies indicating that students’ neg- ative attitudes, fear, and anxiety can hinder both learning and development of the therapeutic relationship (Bower, Webb, & Stevens, 1994; Melrose & Shapiro, 1999; O’Brien, 1994; Tully, 2004). Nurse educators also face the challenge of the changes that have occurred in the mental health system including restruc- tured provision of services, budget constraints, limited reim- bursement, and higher patient acuity (Melrose, 2002). These changes have led to reduced lengths of hospital stays that can ultimately impede students’ learning in the psychiatric clini- cal setting. This provides challenges for nurse educators who need to identify innovative techniques to ensure that students 503