Matt Waters

Paramedic

United Kingdom

Doctorate Title: Impact of Interprofessional Simulation Education. Design, Delivery, Implementation and Challenges in Undergraduate Programmes.

Doctorate Description: Interprofessional education in healthcare occurs when “members of two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care and services” (CAIPE, 2016). The World Health Organization (WHO) has supported IPE initiatives since 1973, however, it has more recently emphasised its potential to strengthen global health systems through patient-focused care (WHO, 2010). This transition towards multi-disciplinary, team-based care highlights the growing importance of IPE in healthcare education (Grace, 2021). Guraya and Barr’s (2018) review suggests that there are numerous benefits associated with IPE, including increased job satisfaction, better awareness of resources, and the dismantling of professional stereotypes.

Despite the reported benefits, higher education healthcare programmes have been slow to adopt IPE, often treating it as an afterthought (Awan et al., 2018). Barriers to effective IPE include lack of staff development, poor institutional support, and logistical issues (Hill et al., 2019).

Technology is transforming education, with simulation and immersive technologies leading the change. Simulation is defined as an “educational strategy in which a particular set of conditions are created or replicated to resemble authentic situations” (Molloy, 2021). This allows healthcare students to experience clinical events in a secure learning environment without impacting the safety of real patients. Ryan et al. (2022) found that although learning gains were comparable to traditional educational methods when using immersive technologies, student satisfaction, self-efficacy, and engagement were all enhanced, leading to a better overall learning experience.

Birtill et al. (2023) describe simulation in the field of paramedicine, not as a replacement for traditional teaching methodologies, but as a complement to it, and an effective scaffold for learning. Birtill also notes that paramedicine is a young healthcare profession and as a result, there is a paucity of evidence in the field, with only four UK-based studies identified. These studies were either feasibility studies, or studies with poor generalisability.

The aim of this study is to identify the impact of interprofessional simulation education, including its design, delivery, implementation and challenges in undergraduate programmes. The study will use a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with simulation and IPE.