Impacts of a Simulation-Based Interprofessional Intervention on Chinese Health Students

Abstract

© 2017 International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Background Interprofessional education is essential for developing a collaborative workforce. However, interprofessional education is not the norm in health professional education in China. More evidence is needed to testify to the effectiveness of interprofessional education. This study describes the process of developing a simulation-based interprofessional intervention in academic settings in China and explores the impacts on baccalaureate health students. Methods A quasi-experimental, pre and post design was used. Thematic analysis analyzed the students’ feedback in debriefing. Results Satisfaction with the simulated interprofessional learning experience was high. Positive attitudinal changes towards teamwork were expressed after simulation; however, significant gaps existed in the students’ team performance. Also, the nursing students’ prescores and postscores of teamwork attitudes were lower than the medical students. Conclusion Further studies should address: (a) building a more comprehensive, constructive organizational culture through integrating patient-centered, holistic care model in all health curriculum designs; (b) threading interprofessional education and collaborative practice in the entire trajectory of professional education, assessing of the impact of doing so, and redesigning the clinical learning to improve students’ actual performance; and (c) exploring Chinese students’ perceptions of different components of simulation, and engaging them in the simulation design.