International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background and aim:

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (2010), states ‘Interprofessional education occurs when two or more professionals learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes’ [1]. When healthcare students enter the practice workplace, they are required to work in an interprofessional team and make collaborative decisions to provide safe and effective patient care. With the increasing complexity of patient presentation, increase in life expectancy and disability years coupled with the challenges of resource and delivery within the healthcare system it is vital that practitioners have solid foundational skills in interprofessional working.

To facilitate this healthcare educators are being required to think of innovative, authentic and contemptuous pedagogical tools to demonstrate interprofessional working, collaboration and interdisciplinary role awareness.

Activity:

To provide healthcare students with meaningful exposure to interpersonal working educators at Birmingham City University embarked on the design and delivery of a live simulated patient case conference. To promote authenticity the case conference was designed (with consent) around a living patient (Jake) with complex medical and social needs. A team of healthcare educators each took the roles of clinicians from both health, social and tertiary care service. A round table discussion was held related to Jakes’s inpatient care and decisions regarding hospital discharge. Jake has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and substantial medical, social and occupational needs. Jake’s mum is also present, demonstrating the need to have patient and carer collaboration. The session was observed live by students but also filmed and edited into an ongoing simulation learning resource with both clinical and non-clinical learning objectives. A facilitated debrief was held after the session.

Findings:

Feedback and anecdotal analysis of the session showed greater student engagement and understanding of the needs for interprofessional collaboration when discussing patient care and decision-making. The use of a real and living patient meant students could immerse themselves in Jake’s story and feel true empathy with his clinical case. For some students’ knowledge of interprofessional working and the roles of other disciplines proves a challenging concept to master.

Conclusion:

It is feasible and effective to utilize simulation (live and virtual) as a method of teaching hard to grasp but vital concepts of healthcare practice including interprofessional working and interdisciplinary role awareness.

Ethics statement:

Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.