# Perception of faculty in the community health sciences colleges towards simulation-based education in clinical nutrition undergraduate practical courses

## TL;DR

This study explores how faculty in community health sciences in Saudi Arabia feel about using simulation-based education for teaching clinical nutrition to undergraduates.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into faculty perceptions and anxiety levels regarding simulation-based education in clinical nutrition training.

## Key findings

- Faculty members generally had positive perceptions of simulation-based education.
- A high level of anxiety was reported among faculty members regarding the use of simulation.
- Training in simulation significantly influenced faculty members' responses (P=0.001).

## Abstract

Simulation now is widely used for training and education in different fields including healthcare education. Medicine and healthcare students can be trained in a secure, efficient, and engaging setting by Simulation-based Education (SBE). Therefore, this study aimed to assess the perception of faculty members in the community health departments towards SBE to be used in practical subjects for clinical nutrition undergraduate courses.

This cross-sectional survey was conducted among community health sciences faculty members. The perception was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire that included three sections.

This questionnaire was completed by 125 faculty members, of whom 36 (28.8%) were male and 89 (71.2%) were female. Overall, faculty members had positive perceptions, with a mean score of 3.86 ± 0.74, but a high level of anxiety toward SBE, with a mean score of 3.42 ± 0.75. There was a statistically significant difference between the responses of the faculty members based on the training they received in simulation (P = 0.001).

The study results indicate that community health sciences faculty members’ perception of SBE in Saudi Arabia is generally positive. However, the results show high levels of anxiety among faculty members toward SBE.