Impact of Chinese EST program on interprofessional education: a prospective pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare simulation and teamwork training.
• Medical education and interprofessional learning.
• Quality improvement in emergency medicine.

Background:

• The effectiveness of collaborative interventions like TeamSTEPPS in middle-income countries requires further investigation.
• Adapting evidence-based teamwork programs is crucial for diverse healthcare settings.
• Emergency simulations provide a controlled environment for assessing team dynamics and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the adapted TeamSTEPPS program, named Emergency Simulated Scenarios and Teamwork Tools (EST), on healthcare professionals in China.
• To compare the EST program with standard training during emergency simulations.
• To assess changes in team performance, interprofessional readiness, self-efficacy, and cognitive load.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods pretest/posttest study involving 10 residents and 20 nurses.
• Utilized the Big Five Personality Inventory, General Self Efficacy Scale, and Team Emergency Assessment Scale.
• Program effectiveness measured by Training Satisfaction Questionnaire, NASA Task Load Index, and Readiness of Health Care Students for Interprofessional Learning, supplemented by semi-structured interviews.

Main Results:

• The EST program group showed significant improvements in readiness for interprofessional learning (p<.01) and team performance (p<.01) compared to the control group.
• Participants in the EST group achieved higher knowledge scores (p<.05) and experienced lower cognitive loads.
• A statistically significant increase in self-efficacy was observed in the EST group (p<.01), with teamwork performance correlating with leader personality (r=0.52, p<.05).

Conclusions:

• The EST program effectively enhances team performance, interprofessional readiness, and self-efficacy among healthcare professionals in emergency settings in China.
• Qualitative data indicated positive participant attitudes towards the training design, theory course, and overall skill development.
• The findings support the adaptation and implementation of EST as a valuable tool for improving teamwork in resource-limited contexts.