Nina Hutri

Tampere University, Finland

Abstract Title: Enhancing Team-Based Care Through Interprofessional Simulation

Biography: Nina Hutri is Vice Dean for Education at Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at Tampere University, Finland. She is also Executive Director of Tampere Centre for Skills Training and Simulation (a training centre owned by Tampere University, Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Pirkanmaa Wellbeing Services County). She is a Specialist in Paediatrics, a Docent of Paediatrics, and holds Special Competence in Medical Education. She has authored approximately 300 peer-reviewed publications (Young Finns Study, education etc). Her main intrests include curriculum developmed and interprofessional education.

Research Interest: Simulation is a well established pedagogical method in healthcare education and is based on Kolb’s experiential learning model. It provides a safe environment in which students can practice both technical and non technical skills without compromising patient safety. Interprofessional simulations enable the practice of collaboration, interaction, and role understanding between different healthcare professional groups, which are key factors in delivering high quality and safe patient care. This abstract examines the experiences and views of healthcare students who participated in an interprofessional simulation implemented at the Tampere Centre for Skills Training and Simulation. A total of 83 students from various degree programmes and six teachers took part in the simulations. The simulation was conducted over two six hour days and included several patient cases in different care settings. Students worked in roles according to their field of study as nurses, radiographers, laboratory technicians, and physiotherapists, and some acted as patients. At the end of the simulation days, an interprofessional debriefing session was organized, during which survey data was collected. The research data consisted of open ended questions and multiple choice statements. The data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The key learning outcomes were communication skills, interprofessional collaboration, and organizing one’s own work. The students felt that they gained valuable experience in working with different professional groups and understanding each other’s expertise. Teamwork and interaction with the patient were considered particularly meaningful. The simulation was considered a useful and work life relevant learning method. Only a few students gave negative feedback regarding the structure, instructions, equipment, and acting in the patient role. This highlights the importance of clear learning objectives and observation tasks. In conclusion, interprofessional simulation is an effective way to develop non technical skills alongside technical skills and to complement clinical training. To optimize the pedagogical benefits of simulations, learning objectives should be clearly defined, and students should be guided to reflect on their actions and learning. Keywords: interprofessional collaboration, studies, simulation.