Systems thinking to break down interprofessional silos through a serious game intervention

Healthcare professionals often are educated and work in silos, limiting effective interprofessional collaboration. Embedding interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice (IPCP) requires innovative approaches. Low-fidelity simulation games may offer a solution beyond traditional didactic methods. To evaluate the impact of the experiential simulation game Friday Night at the ER© (FNER) across clinical teams in a large metropolitan health service. FNER workshops (2.5–3 hours) introduced IPE and IPCP principles to established teams. Participants completed surveys – Systems Thinking Scale (STS), Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams (ATHCT), and Adapted Interprofessional Collaboration Scale (ICS) – before intervention and 6–8 weeks post-intervention. We used paired‑sample t-tests to assess changes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate participants’ experiences, with thematic analysis applied. A total of 519 professionals attended 35 sessions. Of 323 consenting participants, 296 completed pre-surveys and 116 completed post-surveys (39%). Statistically significant improvements were found in systems thinking (STS: pre-62.6 ± 7.8, post 66.1 ± 7.0, p < .001), teamwork and care quality (ATHCT: pre-3.1 ± 0.4, post-3.2 ± 0.4, p < .001), and all ICS domains. Interviews with 15 participants revealed themes around clinical practice (perspective-taking, relationship building) and simulation experience (engagement, improvement opportunities). FNER positively influenced attitudes toward IPCP, and systems thinking, informing future strategies to enhance collaboration across the health service.