Learning the 'SMART' way... results from a pilot study evaluating an interprofessional acute care study day

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Education
• Critical Care

Background:

• Increasing numbers of critical care patients are managed outside specialized units.
• Healthcare staff often lack essential knowledge and skills for acute care.
• Effective pre-registration education can bridge these knowledge and skill gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a pilot one-day interprofessional acute illness program.
• To assess the impact of the SMART® program on student doctors and nurses.
• To determine improvements in knowledge, confidence, and interprofessional collaboration.

Main Methods:

• A pilot program, SMART® (Student Management of Acute illness - Recognition and Treatment), was developed.
• 16 student doctors and 72 student nurses participated.
• Pre- and post-course questionnaires assessed knowledge, confidence, and interprofessional working.

Main Results:

• Student knowledge of deteriorating patients significantly increased post-program.
• Confidence in caring for acutely unwell patients rose substantially.
• Comfort with interprofessional collaboration improved after the training.

Conclusions:

• The SMART® program effectively enhanced acute care clinical skills in student healthcare professionals.
• Interprofessional education is vital for improving patient safety in non-critical care settings.
• The findings support integrating such programs into theoretical curricula for future healthcare providers.