The objective of this systematic review is to present simulation as a teaching strategy for undergraduate nursing students, as described in Brazilian studies. The search was carried out in the databases BDENF, Lilacs and Medline, using the following Keywords: teaching, education, laboratory, simulation, nursing. The included studies were the scientific papers on simulation as a teaching strategy for undergraduate nursing students, published in Portuguese, between January 1999 and September 2010. Bardin's thematic content analysis was applied to data analysis. Nine papers met the inclusion criteria, being classified into two categories: seven in "computer simulation", and two in "nursing laboratory". The results indicate that simulation encourages both the acquisition of psychomotor skills and self-confidence. Yet, no clinical trial was found on the efficacy of simulation for improving nursing students' practice. Thus, there is a need for further research on the subject.
Computer-assisted instruction; Nursing students; Simulation
