Evaluation of a critical illness simulation activity on perceptions and knowledge of interprofessional education between pharmacy and nutrition students

Objective

Evaluate the effect of a novel interdisciplinary simulation activity in a critical care pharmacy elective course and assess students' perceptions toward interprofessional collaboration in the intensive care unit setting.

Methods

Pharmacy and nutrition students enrolled in respective critical care elective courses participated in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) simulation activity. Students were divided into interprofessional groups with discipline-specific topics of focus and provided with a clinical case of a critically ill surgical patient with enteral feeding intolerance. Pharmacy students were assigned a six-question quiz administered pre- and post-simulation that assessed understanding of the role of the dietitian and basic nutrition concepts; all students were given discipline-specific reflection questions following the activity that evaluated students' change in perception of their role and the role of the other discipline in the interprofessional SICU setting.

Results

Nineteen pharmacy students and 11 nutrition students participated in the SICU simulation. Of the pharmacy students (n = 14) who completed both the pre- and post-simulation quiz, there was an improvement in quiz scores, 2.7 ± 0.97 to 4.3 ± 0.34; p < 0.001. Reflection question responses from all students revealed the following themes: enhanced self-perception of their own role, improved understanding of the other profession's role, and heightened degree of interprofessional respect in the care of a critically ill patient.

Conclusions

The interprofessional SICU simulation activity enhanced pharmacy student knowledge about nutrition and broadened all students' understanding of the other profession's roles in critical care.