Enhancing interprofessional collaboration in paediatric training: Insights from profession-specific experiences and implications for future education

There is limited evidence on trainees' and instructors' needs and perspectives concerning interprofessional simulation-based trainings. We aimed to study task distribution among team members, profession-specific learning effects and enhancing collaboration and competencies within medical teams.

This prospective study examined expectations and experiences of medical and nursing students during paediatric emergency training in a tertiary care centre with questionnaires before and after a training. Further, expert interviews were conducted to identify the needs for interprofessional training. Results were used to design a standardised checklist for structured preparation of interprofessional paediatric emergency management training.

Of the nursing students, 82% initially intended to assume the role of the team leader, but only 5.8% did so during training. Both professions emphasised the significance of effective communication and transparent task distribution for successful collaboration. Experts highlighted the importance of proficiency in basic technical skills and identified non-technical skills such as closed-loop communication and the 10-4-10 principle as crucial for both professions.

The study revealed profession-specific variations in the intention of acquiring the team leader or member role. Interprofessional training emerges as a potential strategy to dismantle these structures and promote shared responsibilities. The checklist aims to facilitate structured preparation of a training.