An interprofessional team simulation exercise about a complex geriatric patient

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional collaboration is an essential skill to optimize the care of older adults with complex problems. We successfully developed and evaluated an interprofessional teamwork simulation exercise for medical, nursing, pharmacy, and social work students. Pharmacy students participated via video conferencing.

Before the simulation, students watched a teamwork video and reviewed the patient case. Following an icebreaker exercise, interdisciplinary faculty facilitated a discussion highlighting effective teamwork strategies. Students then collaborated to develop a discharge plan, followed by a simulated family meeting with a theater student. Interdisciplinary faculty again provided structured debriefing highlighting principles of effective teamwork.

Students self-rated interprofessional practice core competencies were evaluated using a retrospective pre/post survey and analyzed using paired t-tests. We qualitatively examined the use of distance technology and assessed learner’s satisfaction with the project. All core competency categories for all disciplines demonstrated significant improvements in mean scores. Students’ qualitative comments demonstrated positive impact on learning interprofessional core competencies.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional
• simulation exercise
• interdisciplinary teamwork
• evaluation

Acknowledgments

For faculty and student coordination support, facilitation expertise, and participation on poster presentations: Tsuneari Hayashi, MD; Lana K. S. Tokumaru, Pharm D; Dana Ing, RN, MSN; Damon Sakai, MD; Christina Bell, MD, PhD; Patricia Jusczak, MS, RPh; Patricia Brooks, RN, MS; Maria Guerrero, RN, MS; Shinji Ito, MD.

For simulation technical and distance technical support: Lauren Thai; Susan Todoki; Hector Wong-Chan; Kathleen Ota; Brian Sumida; Blaine Bautista; Reid Kubo.

For Theatre Students Coordination and Briefing: Alexander Munro (Graduate Assistant) and the HealthCAST Program (collaboration between Department of Nursing and the Department of Theatre and Dance).

The data from this article have been presented as poster sessions at the annual American Geriatrics Society meetings in 2015 and 2016.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest with commercial enterprises. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Grants in the Department of Geriatric Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii: The John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatrics; The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Next Steps Grant; Pacific Islands Geriatric Education Center [GEC, under Grant # B4HP19065] and Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program [GWEP, under Grant # U1QHP28729], HRSA, DHHS.