Transforming the delivery of care from “I” to “We” by developing the crisis resource management skills in pediatric interprofessional teams to handle common emergencies through simulation

Abstract Background The healthcare system is highly complex, and adverse events often result from a combination of human factors and system failures, especially in crisis situations. Crisis resource management skills are crucial to optimize team performance and patient outcomes in such situations. Simulation-based training offers a promising approach to developing such skills in a controlled and realistic environment. Methods This study employed a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) design and aimed to assess the effectiveness of a simulation-based training workshop in developing crisis resource management skills in pediatric interprofessional teams at a tertiary care hospital. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using Kirkpatrick’s Model, focusing on reaction and learning levels, employing the Collaboration and Satisfaction about Care Decisions scale, Clinical Teamwork Scale, and Ottawa Global Rating Scale for pre- and post-intervention assessments. Focused group discussions were conducted with the participants to explore their experiences and perceptions of the training. Results Thirty-nine participants, including medical students, nurses, and residents, participated in the study. Compared to the participants’ pre-workshop performance, significant improvements were observed across all measured teamwork and performance components after the workshop, including improvement in scores in team communication (3.16 ± 1.20 to 7.61 ± 1.0, p < 0.001), decision-making (3.50 ± 1.54 to 7.16 ± 1.42, p < 0.001), leadership skills (2.50 ± 1.04 to 5.44 ± 0.6, p < 0.001), and situation awareness (2.61 ± 1.13 to 5.22 ± 0.80, p < 0.001). No significant variations were observed post-intervention among the different teams. Additionally, participants reported high levels of satisfaction, perceived the training to be highly valuable in improving their crisis resource management skills, and emphasized the importance of role allocation and debriefing. Conclusions The study underscores the effectiveness of simulation-based training in developing crisis resource management skills in pediatric interprofessional teams. The findings suggest that such training can impact learning transfer to the workplace and ultimately improve patient outcomes. The insights from our study offer additional valuable considerations for the ongoing refinement of simulation-based training programs. There is a need to develop more comprehensive clinical skills evaluation methods to better assess the transferability of these skills in real-world settings. The potential challenges unveiled in our study, such as physical exhaustion during training, must be considered when refining and designing such interventions.