Simulation for Cognitive Transformation: Investigating Clinical Reasoning, Decision-Making, and Adaptive Expertise in Health Professions Education

Simulation has become a cornerstone of health professions education, providing learners with a safe and structured environment in which to practice clinical skills. While the field has produced extensive evidence that simulation improves learner satisfaction and perceived competence, a growing consensus, as echoed by editorial shifts in journals such as Advances in Simulation, now suggests that we must move beyond proving that simulation “works.”This Research Topic aims to showcase research that focuses on simulation’s deeper cognitive impact, particularly its role in shaping clinical reasoning, decision-making, and adaptive expertise. We invite contributions that use rigorous, theory-informed methodologies to investigate how simulation influences diagnostic thinking, therapeutic judgment, and the ability to manage uncertainty in complex clinical environments.We welcome submissions that address:· Cognitive processes activated during simulation-based learning.· Scenario design, fidelity, and debriefing strategies that enhance reasoning.· Simulation’s role in teaching diagnostic stewardship and reducing bias.· Interprofessional simulation and collaborative decision-making.· Innovations in simulation-based assessment beyond self-report measures.· Global and low-resource adaptations of simulation for cognitive development.· Exploring and measuring SBE integration at scale, the impact, and return on investment angles· Simulation implementation reframing as a system and quality improvement approach underpinned by sound pedagogy.Article Types Accepted· Original Research· Review Articles· Conceptual Analyses· Methodological Papers· Case Studies· Perspective or Opinion PiecesThis Research Topic aims to foster a scholarly dialogue that informs future curriculum design, assessment strategies, and faculty development initiatives. It will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how simulation prepares learners for the complexities of real-world clinical practice. We encourage Health Profession educators, simulation researchers, curriculum designers, and health professions education scholars who are interested in advancing the science of simulation beyond satisfaction metrics toward meaningful cognitive outcomes to contribute to the collection. Topic editors: Mwansa Ketty Lubeya, Ana L. S. Da Silva, Patricia Katowa-Mukwato, Selestine Haangwaze Nzala, James Sichone Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75981/simulation-for-cognitive-transformation-investigating-clinical-reasoning-decision-making-and-adaptive-expertise-in-health-professions-education