Code Response Training: Improving Interprofessional Communication

INTRODUCTION: Using simulation to improve team performance in emergencies is commonplace. Decreasing codes hospital-wide can be challenging. To address these needs, hospital leaders requested a simulation program to provide team training across an institution focused on patient safety and communication techniques. METHODS: We developed a multimodal approach pairing three online modules on communication techniques with a simulation-based learning session. The three modules required 1 hour, followed by a 1-hour, in-person, simulation-based, interprofessional, small-group session of clinical staff. In ad hoc teams, participants managed two cases: a toddler with airway obstruction and a child developing septic shock. A focused debriefing included discussion of mental models, team formation and expertise, and communication techniques to create a common language to use in ad hoc team formation and patient care. RESULTS: Through more than 200 training sessions reaching over 1,400 staff members, we executed code response training. A nurse and physician facilitated each session, emphasizing the interprofessional nature needed for patient care. Participants rated the learning experience highly on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = low/poor, 5 = high/excellent), with an average rating of 4.3 for achieving objectives and an average rating of 4.8 for facilitator effectiveness. DISCUSSION: Through engaging leadership and frontline clinicians, the simulation program provided code response training hospital-wide, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and communication in critical situations. Such hospital-wide training can emphasize a shared language to empower clinicians at all levels to deliver safe, quality patient care.