Advancing interprofessional education through the use of high fidelity human patient simulators

Abstract

*Background: Modern medical care increasingly requires coordinated teamwork and communication between healthcare professionals of different disciplines. Unfortunately, healthcare professional students are rarely afforded the opportunity to learn effective methods of interprofessional (IP) communication and teamwork strategies during their education. The question of how to best incorporate IP interactions in the curricula of the schools of health professions remains unanswered. Objective: We aim to solve the lack of IP education in the pharmacy curricula through the use of high fidelity simulation (HFS) to allow teams of medical, pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant, and social work students to work together in a controlled environment to solve cases of complex medical and social issues. Methods: Once weekly for a 4-week time period, students worked together to complete complex simulation scenarios in small IP teams consisting of pharmacy, medical, nursing, social work, and physician assistant students. Student perception of the use of HFS was evaluated by a survey given at the conclusion of the HFS sessions. Team communication was evaluated through the use of Communication and Teamwork Skills (CATS) Assessment by 2 independent evaluators external to the project. Results: The CATS scores improved from the HFS sessions 1 to 2 (p = 0.01), 2 to 3 (p = 0.035), and overall from 1 to 4 (p = 0.001). The inter-rater reliability between evaluators was high (0.85, 95% CI 0.71, 0.99). Students perceived the HFS improved: their ability to communicate with other professionals (median =4); confidence in patient care in an IP team (median=4 student interest in IP work (median=4.5), and was an efficient use of student time (median=4.5) Conclusion: The use of HFS improved student teamwork and communication and was an accepted teaching modality. This method of exposing students of the health sciences to IP care should be incorporated throughout the curricula.

Interprofessional Education Among Student Health Professionals Using Human Patient Simulation

“…27 A subsequent report described the use of human patient simulation during an IPE scenario involving 5 different disciplines and its impact on communication, but only 8 students were involved in this feasibility study. 28 The introduction of high-fidelity human patient simulation in the school of nursing was perceived as an opportunity to develop IPE experiences between the 2 schools and to increase pharmacy students' exposure to human patient simulation. To overcome the barriers of coordination of student class schedules and participation among all students of a graduating class, faculty members from both programs collaborated to determine the appropriate courses within the 2 curricula to include an IPE curricular initiative facilitated by human patient simulation.…”

“…27 Another described 1 pharmacy school's efforts to increase their IPE curriculum using human patient simulation with teams representing 5 disciplines. 28 With the introduction of human patient simulation in the nursing and pharmacy curricula at Wilkes University, faculty members were seeking to create opportunities to use this technology in an IPE experience among students in the 2 schools. Therefore, we created the first IPE clinical laboratory within the curricula of both programs.…”

Retention of Advanced Cardiac Life Support Knowledge and Skills Following High-Fidelity Mannequin Simulation Training

“…5 The majority of this evidence includes the use of highfidelity mannequin simulation instruction. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] A number of outcomes (eg, self-perceived clinical skills, teamwork and interprofessional teamwork skills, blood pressure assessment) have been assessed using high-fidelity mannequins. Although it has been shown that high-fidelity mannequin simulation can increase knowledge retention in pharmacy education, data is lacking on retention of advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) knowledge and skills following simulation training.…”

Development of an Antimicrobial Stewardship-based Infectious Diseases Elective that Incorporates Human Patient Simulation Technology

“…This technology provides learners with a safe environment to practice skills, refine knowledge, and engage with other health care professionals in an interprofessional team environment. 11 Using HPS as a teaching and learning strategy has been incorporated at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy since 2006. [12][13][14] Use of HPS for ID content has been limited in the literature to antimicrobial administration as a precipitant for anaphylaxis management.…”