Auditory hallucinations simulation in mental health nursing education: a scoping review

• Simulation is an effective methodology for nursing education in the mental health field. • This paper describes the state of the art of auditory hallucination simulation in nursing education, highlighting strengths, lived experience, but also the risks of this specific type of simulation. • Nurse educators can use the information provided to use this simulation more safely and discern between available tools and activities. This scoping review aims to identify the state of the art of simulation in nursing education for patients with mental health problems presenting auditory hallucinations. Specifically, it aims to identify outcomes studied in the literature, existing tools used to simulate auditory hallucinations, the effectiveness of such methodology and tools, and learners' experience and satisfaction. A Scoping Review was performed by consulting the PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web Of Science, PsycINFO (Ovid), including full-text articles published between 2013 and 2023. A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey & O'Malley framework and integrating relevant aspects of the Johanna Briggs Institute methodology for Scoping Review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was followed for reporting. Quality apprisal was also performed. Thirteen studies were included. Retrived evidence suggests the effectiveness of the methodology and student satisfaction. However, some risks have been outlined that nursing educators must necessarily consider. Evidence supports the use of this type of simulation, which, however, is not risk free.