A Synchronous Interprofessional Patient Safety Simulation Integrating Distance Health Professions Students

Increasing rates of medical errors necessitate incorporation of patient safety education for health professions students. Institutions must address the needs of both campus- and distance-based learners to meet interprofessional education (IPE) accreditation requirements. The purpose of this project was to evaluate a synchronous interprofessional patient safety simulation to train students on interprofessional teamwork and communication through recognition of patient safety and medical hazards.

Students from health care professions participated in a Haunted Hospital/Heartbreak Hospital patient hazard/medical error simulation. A total of 201 students in 41 teams, both campus and distance, participated over three semesters.

Mean Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised (SPICE-R) scores significantly improved from 44.81 ± 3.59 to 47.08 ± 3.31 (p < .0001). Qualitative responses indicated that students appreciated working with other health care students through collaborative practice and recognized the importance of discipline-specific expertise.

This simulation provided campus and distance learners with a collaboration opportunity that improved their perceptions of IPE. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(10):577-582.].