Enhancing Medical Students' Interprofessional Teamwork Through Simulated Room of Errors Experience

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Teamwork and Collaboration

Background:

• Fostering interprofessional appreciation among medical students is vital for healthcare careers.
• Early exposure to diverse team roles enhances understanding and collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a teamwork training intervention on medical students' attitudes.
• To assess medical students' ability to identify errors in a simulated surgical environment.

Main Methods:

• Third-year medical students participated in a surgical clerkship orientation.
• Students completed the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire pre- and post-intervention.
• A simulated operating room error identification exercise and physician-led discussions were conducted.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were observed in team structure domain scores post-intervention.
• Medical students identified a range of errors, with soiled gloves and urinary bags being most frequent.
• Experienced nurses identified significantly more errors than medical students.

Conclusions:

• The teamwork exercise was well-received by medical students.
• The intervention enhanced students' appreciation for team members and multidisciplinary synergy.
• The training highlighted the importance of recognizing errors and valuing diverse perspectives in healthcare teams.