Designing in situ simulation in the emergency department: evaluating safety attitudes amongst physicians and nurses

BACKGROUND: This intervention study aimed to enhance patient safety attitudes through the design of an in situ simulation program based on a needs analysis involving thematic analysis of patient safety data and short-term ethnography. The study took place at an Emergency Department (ED) in the Central Region of Denmark. Research suggests that poor handover communication can increase the likelihood of critical incidents and adverse events in the ED. Furthermore, simulation is an effective strategy for training handover communication skills. Research is lacking, however, on how to use patient safety data and a needs analysis to the design of in situ simulation communication training. METHODS: This is a prospective pre-post study investigating the interventional effects of in situ simulation. It used a three-pronged strategy: (1) thematic analysis of patient safety data consisting of reported critical incidents and adverse events, (2) a needs analysis based on short-term ethnography in the ED, and (3) pre-post evaluation using the validated Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Trainee Reactions Score. RESULTS: Sixteen different healthcare teams participated composed by 9 physicians and 30 nurses. In the SAQ, participating staff scored their safety attitudes in six categories (n = 39). Two measures where significantly higher for the post-SAQ than those for the pre-SAQ: teamwork climate (p < 0.001) and safety climate (p < 0.05). The Trainee Reactions Score showed that the training was positively evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: This study designed a feasible strategy for implementing in situ simulation based on a needs analysis of critical incidents and adverse events and short-term ethnography. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41077-017-0037-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.