Clinical Macrosystem Simulation Translates Between Organizations

Simulation has become an integral tool in healthcare facility redesign. Immersing clinical experts into their future environment has demonstrated benefits for transition planning. This study evaluates translation of a proven macrosystems testing protocol, TESTPILOT, to an organization with limited simulation experience.

An experienced TESTPILOT team guided Woman's Hospital Baton Rouge's simulation preparation for their new neonatal intensive care unit. Metrics included participant evaluations, latent safety threats (LST), and clinician surveys. Latent safety threats recorded during debriefings were addressed by workflow committees. Clinicians were surveyed at four time points for readiness and preparedness on 24 key processes.

The local team invested nearly 750 hours into learning and implementing seven simulations that participants rated positively. Most of the 305 LST were minor issues. Surveys at baseline (42% of staff), postsim (18%), pretransition (26%), and postmove (29%) demonstrated strong internal consistency. System readiness lagged behind staff preparedness (P < 0.007); both were higher after simulations (P ≤ 0.001) but at no other interval. Critical laboratory notification, rounding structure, team coverage, and feedback were still evolving as of move day (P < 0.02).

Macrosystems testing using simulation identifies LST, improves process, and prepares staff. The methodology is implementable in organizations with limited prior exposure. Woman's Hospital Baton Rouge accrued essential skills to model and orchestrate an immersive neonatal intensive care unit and then drive effective multidisciplinary debriefings. Staff immersed in the new environment began to articulate their jobs before moving in. The trajectory of system readiness improvement corroborated LST correction. Future research is needed to determine the extent of simulation required for different organizational structures.