Interprofessional activity using a situation, background, assessment, and recommendation structured method of communication to teach safe prescribing practices

Interprofessional education (IPE) can prepare health sciences students to communicate effectively within interdisciplinary teams to deliver safe and effective health care with fewer medical errors. The IPE Collaborative Core Competencies were used to develop and evaluate a course-based, faculty-planned, IPE activity for health professions students. Nurse practitioner and physician associate students were paired with Doctor of Pharmacy students to simulate a professional interaction between prescriber and pharmacist; student pairs used current evidence and the verbal situation, background, assessment, and recommendation method of communication to resolve a case-based prescription safety issue. Students completed a postactivity survey designed to evaluate perceptions of the activity in three domains: interactions with partners, interprofessional and clinical learning experiences, and activity organization/delivery. Results indicated that 98.8% felt that their partners understood the medication safety problem and worked collaboratively to find a solution, 91.5% agreed that clinical decision-making responsibilities were shared, and 91.5% agreed that the activity was relevant to patient safety. Most respondents rated the case studies very effective (78.8%) in developing clinical decision-making skills and found the overall activity very effective (76.4%) in helping them understand the clinical roles and responsibilities of their partners. This IPE activity is a high-fidelity, low-tech, cost-effective way for students to develop clinical decision-making skills, work collaboratively to resolve patient safety issues, and learn about one another's role on the health care team. The aim of this article is to share the activity and results with other nursing or health sciences faculty who may desire to replicate it and achieve the objectives at their own university/college.