Measuring changes in pharmacy and nursing students' perceptions following an interprofessional high-fidelity simulation experience

J Interprof Care. 2018 Sep;32(5):648-652. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2018.1496073. Epub 2018 Jul 6.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of interprofessional high-fidelity simulation-based learning (SBL) on third-year pharmacy and senior nursing students' perceptions of interprofessional care. Students participated in an interprofessional high-fidelity SBL experience consisting of two hospital-based scenarios followed by a debriefing. The "Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised" (SPICE-R) instrument was administered pre- and post-SBL. The "Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning" (SSSCL) instrument, which uses a 5-point Likert scale, was administered post-SBL. A total of 104 (78%) pharmacy and 93 (77%) nursing students completed both the pre- and post-survey instruments. Baseline differences between pharmacy and nursing students included number of clinical hours completed [200 (190-240) vs. 210 (209-210); p < 0.001] and previous/current experiencing working directly with other healthcare professionals [71 (53%) vs. 88 (73%); p < 0.001]. Median score increases were observed for all SPICE-R items (p < 0.01) for pharmacy students and nine of ten SPICE-R items (p < 0.01) for nursing students. All students rated both the experience and their confidence highly on the SSSCL; however, nursing scores were higher than pharmacy scores for 7 of 13 items (p < 0.05). An interprofessional high-fidelity SBL experience increased pharmacy and nursing students' perceptions of interprofessional care.

Keywords: High fidelity simulation training; interprofessional education; nursing students; pharmacy students.

MeSH terms

  • Competency-Based Education / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Interprofessional Relations*
  • Problem-Based Learning / organization & administration*
  • Professional Role*
  • Students, Nursing / statistics & numerical data*
  • Students, Pharmacy / statistics & numerical data*
  • Task Performance and Analysis
  • United States