Moving Along: Team Training for Emergency Room Trauma Transfers (T2ERT2).

Objective: To determine whether high fidelity simulation-based training (SBT) of interprofessional teams involving trauma transfers has an immediate impact on participants' team-based attitudes and behaviors.

Methods: A quasi-experimental, pre-/postintervention comparison design examined high fidelity SBT of inter-professional teams using a 2 scenario format with immediate after action structured debriefing. Pre-/postsession Readiness for Inter-Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS, 19 items, Likert-type) surveys as well as Interprofessional Teamwork (IPT, 15 items, Likert-type) questionnaires, and postscenario participant- and observer-rated Teamwork Assessment Scales (TAS, 3 subscales, 11 items, Likert-type) were completed during each training session. Mean RIPLS, IPT, and TAS scores were calculated and matched pre-/postscore differences compared using paired t-test or analysis of variance with Bonferroni adjustment. Methods: A large, urban, academic, state health sciences institution in the Southeastern United States during the 2014 to 2015 academic year. Methods: General surgery residents, emergency medicine residents, and senior undergraduate nursing students comprising ten interprofessional teams.

Results: From approximately 48 participants, matched pre-/postsession IPT surveys were available for 42 individuals; 45 had an observer TAS evaluation for both scenarios; and 40 completed TAS peer evaluations for both scenarios. 47 participants had matched RIPLS surveys. Statistically significant improvements in matched pre-/postscore differences occurred for all 15 IPT items. Observer TAS scores significantly improved on 2 of the 3 subscales comparing the second to the first scenario. Peer evaluations statistically improved comparing the second to the first scenario. Two of the 19 RIPLS items demonstrated statistically significant improvement.

Conclusions: Interprofessional trauma team transfer training using SBT changes attitudes toward key team-based competencies and leads to learning them in the simulated environment. Such improvement in team-based skill and attitudes is an important first step in adopting team-based behaviors in the actual clinical environment and improving transfer care.