Evaluation of a sepsis teaching rounds simulation for pharmacy students

Abstract

Background and purpose: The goal of this prospective, observational cohort study was to determine if simulated interdisciplinary teaching rounds improved student perceptions of confidence and attitudes towards working as part of a team. The secondary objective of this study was to investigate changes in student knowledge of the management of sepsis. Educational activity and setting: Students participated in a traditional sepsis lecture followed by a simulated interdisciplinary rounding experience. Confidence and collaborative attitudes were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Changes in knowledge were measured using multiple choice questions. Students completed these tools at three points in time: pre-lecture, post-lecture, and post-simulation. Findings: Student confidence and attitudes related to interdisciplinary rounds improved following the simulation (2 of 4 items, p = 0.003; 2 of 5 items, p < 0.05). Also, most students agreed or strongly-agreed that the simulation reinforced knowledge gained from lecture (94.7%), that lecture followed by a simulation was the most effective way to learn about sepsis (94.7%), and that the simulation helped reinforce critical-thinking skills (94.7%). Knowledge improved between the didactic lecture and the simulation, but these differences were not found to be statistically significant. Summary: A simulated interdisciplinary rounding experience may increase student confidence during teaching rounds and improve attitudes towards working alongside other healthcare professionals. Incorporating rounding simulations into pharmacy curricula may be beneficial towards student success on rounds. Background and purpose With their expanding role, pharmacists are becoming more involved in direct patient care that often includes interdisciplinary rounding. Some student pharmacists may not have the chance to interact in a formal patient care rounding experience until their advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) or after graduation. It is important to expose students to these team dynamics so that they are prepared to function in various practice settings. There are many ways in which interprofessional communication can be introduced and strengthened within pharmacy curricula; simulation training is one such method. Simulated clinical scenarios allow participants to discover their roles and responsibilities as part of a healthcare team. These scenarios mimic the high-risk situations encountered in clinical practice and provide a safe haven for students to make and learn from their mistakes. 1-3 Because sepsis is associated with high mortality rates and is the most expensive condition treated in United States hospitals, it is

Impact of sepsis education for healthcare professionals and students on learning and patient outcomes: a systematic review

“…These insights can inform the design and development of future sepsis education for healthcare professionals and students, with the ultimate aim of improving care of patients with sepsis and contributing to reducing sepsis burden to health systems. [66] N/A 0 + Bolger et al [ 35] Y 0 Breuer & Hassinger [36] Y + + Bridges et al [37] 0 + + Bryant [38] N/A + + Chung et al [39] + + Cory et al [65] Y + + Delaney et al [40] + + Dugan et al [41] 0 0 ± Evans et al [42] N/A 0 + + Ferrer et al [43] Y ± + Gallagher et al [44] Y + Girardis et al [45] Y + + Jenkins et al [46] N/A 0 ± Lighthall et al [47] + Luna et al [48] Y ± -MacRedmond et al [49] Y + + Marwick et al [50] Y ± Nguyen et al [51] Y ± + Noritomi et al [52] Y + + O'Shaughnessy et al [54] Y 0 0 Olvera & Dutra [53] Y + Palleschi et al [55] Y ± Qian et al [56] Y + Raines et al [57] Y ± Raj et al [62] Y + + Schilinski et al [58] 0 ± Serrano-Smith et al [64] Y ± Vanderzwan et al [59] ± Vattanavanit et al [63] N/A 0 + + Woods et al [60] Y + Yousefi et al [61] + + Y indicates presence of hospital sepsis support tool in the setting, + indicates statistical significant improvement of outcome p<0.05, 0 indicates improvement with unknown or no statistical significance observed, -indicates worsening of outcome, ± indicates multiple outcomes with both statistical and insignificant observations, N/A -not applicable.…”

“…Bryant [38] and O'Shaughnessy et al [54] introduced the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation communication tool, while Delaney et al [40] covered the TeamSTEPPS® communication and teamwork concepts in their sepsis education. The other four studies fostered an interprofessional teamwork approach to the management of septic patients in their simulation training [39,44,46,56].…”

“…Learners' views on the learning experience were evaluated by seven studies, in which three studies used gaming [37,42,66], three studies employed high-fidelity simulations [41,46,63], and one study used an electronically delivered learning module [58]. Generally, learning through gameplay and simulations garnered positive responses and acceptability from the learners.…”

“…Generally, learning through gameplay and simulations garnered positive responses and acceptability from the learners. Learners reported that these methods of education delivery helped to facilitate knowledge acquisition and retention [46,63,66], and gave them an opportunity to J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f apply and practise their clinical skills in a safe environment [66]. In comparison with traditional classroom teaching or e-learning, which are more passive methods of learning, gameplay and simulation were perceived to be more effective methods [37].…”

Evaluation of sepsis teaching for medical and dental students at a British University

“…A variety of strategies have been used to enhance knowledge and recognition of sepsis amongst healthcare students. These include the use of simulated patients, and interdisciplinary learning activities [16][17][18] and interactive e-learning programmes on sepsis. 19 In addition, experiences of increasing use of technology for blended learning in healthcare education during the COVID-19 pandemic may allow educators to consider other tools such as podcasts, vodcasts, webcasts, webinars, discussion forums and mobile learning applications.…”