Interprofessional simulation to promote teamwork and communication between nursing and respiratory therapy students:...

Collaboration and teamwork are vitally important for safe patient care. Experiential learning through interprofessional simulation helps prepare students for the expansive requirements of today's complex healthcare environment.

To develop and evaluate an interprofessional simulation educational activity to promote teamwork and communication between respiratory therapy and nursing students.

A mixed method design employing surveys, observation, and focus groups with educators and students was used. Thirty-six students from two institutions in Western Canada participated in this study. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Baseline assessment revealed students were most familiar and comfortable with team functioning and communication interprofessional competencies, familiar but uncomfortable with collaborative leadership, conflict resolution, patient-centered care, and role clarification competencies. Correlation between communication and teamwork and collaborative leadership suggests these competencies play an important role in students' ability to enact more complex skills, such as conflict resolution competency. Overall, participants were highly satisfied and shared invaluable insights for improving this simulation experience in the future.

This evaluation study demonstrated feasibility of interprofessional simulation and its potential to enhance acquisition of interprofessional competencies. A future study will incorporate additional disciplines, such as medicine and pharmacy, applying a controlled evaluation design.