Interprofessional high-fidelity simulation on nursing students’ collaborative attitudes: A quasi-experimental study using a mixed-methods approach

Background: interprofessional simulation appears to be effective training for nursing students, yet many questions remain about its feasibility, acceptability and efficacy in improving students’ collaborative attitudes. Study design and participants: the aim of this quasi-experimental study, with a mixed-methods approach, was to evaluate changes in interprofessional collaborative attitudes after a training session based on an interprofessional high-fidelity patient simulation (IHFPS). The sample was composed of students attending the 2nd and 3rd year of the Nursing Degree Program and residents of the Anaesthesia Residency Program at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in 2019. Methods: nursing students and residents were grouped into small interprofessional teams and participated in an IHFPS focused on acute care. To measure interprofessional collaboration attitude, the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) were administered to nursing students. They completed a post-test to investigate their satisfaction with IHFPS and they replied to open-ended statements. Results and conclusions: 204 nursing students completed both the pre- and post-test surveys. Our results suggested that an IHFPS, with small teams of nursing students and residents, improved interprofessional collaborative attitudes of nursing students. We reported a statistically significant improvement in three factors of JSAPNC and in the RIPLS, which showed the positive effects of this experience on many collaborative skills. The students expressed high satisfaction with the training conducted in a realistic and safe setting, which improved their awareness of working in an effective multidisciplinary team.