SPECIAL SESSION: Rally Around the Troops, Part II

Description/Overview: Various factors in hospitals can adversely affect patient outcomes, including faulty communication between nurses and physicians (Manojlovich, 2009). Engaging in human patient simulation (HPS) can address this issue; it appears that the military is leading the way to assuring an interdisciplinary approach to using HPS. The IOM promotes the benefits of simulation training for health care providers. The identification of latent safety threats is a previously unreported but extremely valuable benefit of interdisciplinary HPS training (Patterson et al., 2006). Messmer (2008) found that nurse and pediatric residents could collaborate while decreasing medical errors and improving patient outcomes. Movement from the 1st scenario silo approach to the 3rd scenario collaboration is typical when not all team members are familiar with each other. DeVita et al. (2004) used a computerized HPS as part of a comprehensive program to teach crisis intervention team skills and included respiratory therapists (RTs), nurses and physicians while LeFlore (2008) used EMT, paramedic, RT and nurses for neonatal transport simulation.