Effect of community-based tabletop simulation on disaster nursing competency, preparedness, transfer motivation, and self-efficacy: a quasi-experimental study.

Authors

Myongsun Cho, Miyoung Kwon, Hyosung Cha

Published in

BMC nursing. Volume 25. Issue 1. Sep 22, 2026. Epub Sep 22, 2026.

Abstract

Nurses play a critical role in community-based disaster response; however, gaps remain in disaster preparedness and in translating disaster-related competencies into clinical practice. Despite the widespread use of simulation-based education, evidence regarding the effectiveness of low-cost, scalable approaches, such as tabletop simulation, in undergraduate nursing education remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based tabletop simulation program on disaster nursing competency, preparedness, transfer motivation, and learning self-efficacy.
A quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group design was conducted among 93 undergraduate nursing students (experimental group, n = 43; control group, n = 50). The experimental group participated in a structured community-based tabletop simulation program in addition to standard instruction, whereas the control group received standard instruction only. The program focused on the 3T disaster response process-triage, treatment, and transport with emphasis on patient transport decision-making based on hospital capacity and available resources. The outcome variables were assessed at three time points (baseline, immediately post-intervention, and follow-up). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine the group-by-time interaction effects.
Significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed for all outcome variables. The experimental group demonstrated greater improvements than the control group in disaster nursing competency (F = 23.13, p < .001), disaster preparedness (F = 24.53, p < .001), transfer motivation (F = 4.83, p = .011), and learning self-efficacy (F = 5.14, p = .009). The improvements in the experimental group were sustained across the three measurement points, whereas changes in the control group were modest. These findings indicated that the tabletop simulation program contributed to enhanced disaster-related competencies and psychological readiness for practice.
Community-based tabletop simulation appears to be an effective and scalable educational strategy for strengthening disaster nursing competency, preparedness, and transfer motivation among undergraduate nursing students. Integrating structured tabletop exercises into nursing curricula may support workforce readiness in disaster-prone settings. Further multicenter studies with long-term follow-up are warranted to confirm these findings.
Not applicable.

PMID:
42829439
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Oct 2026.

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