Evaluating An Interprofessional Pediatrics Educational Module Using Simulation

Background: High-fidelity simulation (HFS) has been shown to be effective in health sciences education for practicing team approaches to managing complex care. Interprofessional (IP) collaboration contributes to patient well-being. This prospective study was conducted to evaluate an interprofessional pediatrics educational module using HFS. Methods: Nursing and medical students (N = 96) attended one asthma exacerbation simulation and a second on sepsis. Performance of basic pediatric skills and team skills was evaluated using a checklist. Participants (N = 86) completed a survey regarding their confidence performing pediatric skills and their comfort with IP communication and collaboration. Fifty-three nursing students completed the scenarios in non-IP groups. Results: Team skills improved significantly for the IP groups between the two scenarios (p < .001), but not for the non-IP groups. Pediatric skills scores were lower than team scores in both sessions for all groups. Conclusion: HFS may be a useful strategy to teach interprofessional teamwork in pediatrics. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. All rights reserved.