Abstract
Purpose: Mental health simulation is the educational practice of recreating clinical situations in safe environments using actors, followed by structured debriefing, to foster professional development and improve care. Although evidence outlines the benefits of simulation, few studies have examined the impact of interprofessional mental health simulation on healthcare trainees, which is more reflective of clinical care. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of mental health simulation training on students’ confidence, attitudes, knowledge and perceived professional development and anticipated clinical practice.
Design/methodology/approach: Participants (n=56) were medical (41 per cent) and mental health nursing students (41 per cent), and clinical psychology trainees (18 per cent). Six simulated scenarios, involving one to three trainees, were followed by structured debriefs with trained facilitators. Scenarios, using actors, reflected patient journeys through emergency, medical and psychiatric settings. Participants’ confidence, knowledge and attitudes were measured quantitatively using pre- and post-course self-report questionnaires. Perceptions of impact on professional development and clinical practice were assessed using thematic analysis of post-course questionnaire responses.
Findings: Knowledge, confidence and attitudes scores showed statistically significant increases, with large effect sizes. Thematic analyses highlighted themes of: interprofessionalism, communication skills, reflective practice, personal resilience, clinical skills and confidence. Research limitations/implications: Further research should clarify the impact of interprofessional simulation training on mental health practice in the context of other training received.
Practical implications: Simulation training may begin to influence participants’ professional development and future clinical practice and subsequently care delivered, supporting its increased use in mental health.
Originality/value: This study adds to nascent understandings of the use and potential of interprofessional mental health simulation, outlining innovative training, its positive outcomes and implications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 46-58 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 03 Dec 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 03 Jan 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Competing interests: on behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest. The authors thank all those who contributed to the design and delivery of the SIMHS course, as well as the subsequent analysis and manuscript preparation: the entire team at Maudsley Simulation; Dr Charlotte Wilson-Jones, Jayne Frisbee, Dr Stuart Carney, Dr Chris Holland and Dr Richard Phillips from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King?s College London; Carol Fordham-Clarke and Christine Kakai from the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King?s College London; Nicola Reynolds, Sue Rutter and Louise Pascoe from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King?s College London; and Health Education South London for funding the development, delivery and evaluation of mental health simulation training within South London.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Keywords
- Interdisciplinary
- Interprofessional
- Mental health
- Multi-disciplinary
- Simulation training
- Students
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Phychiatric Mental Health
- Education
- Health Policy
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
- Psychiatry and Mental health
