Abstract
Background: Delivery of safe, high-quality healthcare requires many different health professionals to work together in a team.1 Team working is best learnt from experience. Multi-professional team training for high risk emergency situations, including paediatric resuscitation, is an important aspect of safe and effective patient care.1,2 Simulation provides experiential learning in a controlled and safe environment and an opportunity to practise clinical skills, communication and team working.1,2
Description: A half-day simulation course covering paediatric emergencies and child protection for multidisciplinary team in paediatrics started in 2014. The course runs four times per year. Candidates attend the SimWard high fidelity facility, where they participate in and observe clinical scenarios and their respective debriefs. Candidates act in their own role and are requested to immerse themselves in the simulation and perform as they would in their own work environment.
Evaluation: 50 members of staff from the paediatrics department have participated in the inter-professional simulation course in the last 3 years. Each candidate completed an anonymous post-course feedback form, including a 3 or 4 point Likert scale of the quality of the session and their learning during it (table 1) and free text comments on the best aspects and areas for improvement.
Table 1: Percentage of positive learner responses to the IPL Simulation Session
Relevant to clinical practice 100%
Appropriate level of content 88%
Learning occurred 100%
Clinical practice will change 94%
Candidates rated the “realistic, high risk, true life clinical scenarios”, opportunities for “team working, communication, team leading”, “non-judgemental environment”, “advanced facilities” and the “detailed breakdown and feedback” during debriefs as the best aspects. Suggestions for improvement included, “more emergency scenarios”, “setting up SimWard more similar to the paediatric unit” and “more regular sessions with a greater skill mix of professionals”.
Discussion: Staff who participated in the Paediatric Inter-Professional Learning Simulation Course reported improved self-efficacy in team working, communication and leadership in the management of an acutely unwell child. The team’s patient safety awareness and incident reporting has also improved, suggesting that a change in attitudes and safety culture on the ward has occurred as a result of this inter-professional simulation training.
