Online Non-Technical Skill Simulation: Enhanced Interprofessional Education: Changes in Attitudes and Behaviors of Health Professions Graduate Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Challenges to the successful implementation of interprofessional education (IPE) include attitudes, logistics and resources. Online non-technical simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (SIM-IPE) is a scalable, low-cost educational strategy that lacks representation in the literature. The objective of this study was to measure the effectiveness of online non-technical skill (ONTS) SIM-IPE to change attitudes toward interprofessional teams and the team approach to care. METHODS A quasi-experimental pre/post-test design using an online survey explored the effectiveness of ONTS SIM-IPE. Graduate health professions students' attitudes toward interprofessional teams and team approach to care was measured using the SPICE-R2. RESULTS Post-test scores on the Student Perception of Interprofessional Clinical Education Revised (SPICE-R2) revealed significant differences in the following subscales: Roles/Responsibility (Z=-.313, p<.002), Patient Outcomes (Z=-.347, p<.001). DISCUSSION Based on these results, ONTS SIM-IPE is an effective instructional method that is scalable to meet the global needs of contemporary graduate health professions' education. CONCLUSION The novel nature of these results leads to the need for standardization in ONTS SIM-IPE pedagogies and research designs. The augmentation of health professions education with SIM-IPE is no longer a luxury, but a necessity as global health crises require social distancing to manage and deliver high quality, cost-efficient, teambased health care to diverse populations.