Nursing Student Interprofessional Simulation Increases Empathy and Improves Attitudes on Poverty.

Area of Science:

• Health Disparities
• Medical Education
• Interprofessional Healthcare

Background:

• Rising poverty rates negatively impact patient health outcomes.
• Healthcare professionals require enhanced understanding to support patients in poverty.
• Interprofessional collaboration is crucial for addressing patient health goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an interprofessional poverty simulation on healthcare professionals.
• To assess changes in attitudes toward poverty and empathy among participants.
• To determine the effectiveness of simulation-based training in health professions education.

Main Methods:

• Recruited nursing students and Veteran's Affairs staff for a poverty simulation.
• Administered the Attitudes about Poverty and Poor People (APPP) scale and Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) pre- and post-simulation.
• Utilized the Self Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS) to measure self-reflection.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements observed in APPP and TEQ scores post-simulation.
• No significant changes were found in SRIS scores.
• The simulation effectively enhanced participants' empathy and attitudes toward poverty.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional poverty simulations positively influence healthcare professionals' perspectives.
• Simulation-based learning is a valuable tool for improving empathy and understanding of poverty in healthcare settings.
• Enhanced attitudes and empathy can lead to better patient care for individuals experiencing poverty.