Improving collaboration among medical, nursing and respiratory therapy students through interprofessional simulation

Abstract

This project involved the implementation of simulation-based scenarios to train students within nursing, respiratory therapy and medical fields in interprofessional practice. Students participated in experiential learning that included active participation in patient care, interprofessional practice on healthcare teams and reflective practice through debriefing and observing. Given the severity of preventable medical errors, healthcare professionals need to take advantage of technological advances like simulation training to ensure patient safety. As evidenced through their evaluations, participants also became aware of and alluded to other team members' areas of expertise, what they brought to the team and began to understand how the team operated collectively. Our study suggests that simulated scenarios can help interprofessional collaboration.

Keywords::

• Communication
• interprofessional education
• interprofessional outcomes
• teams