Background: Interprofessional healthcare simulation (sim-IPE) is being increasingly used to improve technical and team collaboration skills in health professions education [1]. Sim-IPE can provide a safe environment in which learners can apply team-based skills to optimize patient safety and collective competence [2]. Best practices in sim-IPE include the use of a theoretical framework [3]. Such a framework exists in the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) National Competency Framework for Patient-Centred Interprofessional Collaboration [4], which describes the six competency domains required for effective interprofessional collaboration. 

Purpose: The learning objectives of this conference workshop were for participants to: 1. Use the CIHC Competency Framework for Interprofessional Collaboration to design, deliver and evaluate a simulation activity; 2. Integrate best practices for effective sim-IPE; and 3. Identify strategies in overcoming the challenges in the implementation of sim-IPE.  

Methods: Three current Canadian examples of sim-IPE activities across the fidelity continuum were provided: pre-recorded videos with scenarios on team functioning (University of Toronto); real-time scenarios utilizing standardized clients focusing on interprofessional conflict resolution (University of Manitoba); and virtual reality focusing on team communication in the context of Indigenous-specific racism (University of British Columbia). Small groups utilized the Build an IPE Simulation Case worksheet developed by the University of Toronto to develop a sim-IPE activity based on a case scenario of a person with Diabetes.

Discussion/Conclusion: Development of a sim-IPE learning activity must include articulation of interprofessional learning objectives based on a valid conceptual framework of collaboration. Much of the learning takes place in the debrief, where facilitators trained in interprofessional education are key. Attention to a psychologically safe teaching and learning environment is critical for both the teacher and the learner, where issues of hierarchy, power, and implicit biases such as racism must be navigated [5].

References

[1] Reising, DL, Carr, DE, Gindling, S, Barnes, R, Garletts, D & Ozdogan, Z: An analysis of interprofessional communication and teamwork skill acquisition in simulation. J Interprof Educ Pract. 2017, 8: 80-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2017.07.001.

[2] Langlois, S.: Collective competence: Moving from individual to collaborative expertise. Perspect Med Educ. 2020, 9: 71-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-020-00575-3.

[3] INACSL Standards Committee: Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice^TM Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Education. Clin Simul Nurs. 2021, 58: 49-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.015 

[4] Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative: A National Interprofessional Collaborative Framework. 2010. Accessed: November 23, 2022: https://phabc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CIHC-National-Interprofessional-Competency-Framework.pdf

[5] Lackie, K., Hayward, K., Ayn, C., et al.: Creating psychological safety in interprofessional simulation for health professional learners: a scoping review of the barriers and enablers. J Interprof Care. 2022.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2022.2052269