Using interprofessional medication management simulations to impact student attitudes toward teamwork to prevent...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Interprofessional collaboration
• Patient safety

Background:

• A public university integrated Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standard 11 and Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies.
• This initiative involved a collaborative effort between nursing, pharmacy, and medicine colleges at a distance campus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an interprofessional education activity on healthcare students' teamwork attitudes.
• To assess the effectiveness of TeamSTEPPS training and medical error simulations in improving interprofessional collaboration.

Main Methods:

• The interprofessional education activity included TeamSTEPPS training and four medical error simulation scenarios.
• Debriefing sessions were conducted after each scenario and simulation.
• The Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (TTAQ) was utilized for evaluation.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated significant improvement in attitudes towards specific team constructs across all five domains post-training.
• Initial perceptions of teamwork as crucial for safe care delivery were further enhanced.
• The project provided valuable insights for curriculum integration.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative teamwork and exposure to medication management scenarios enhance teamwork attitudes and potentially performance.
• Positive outcomes have led to plans for replication across campuses and inclusion of more students.