All the World's a Stage: Integrating Theater and Medicine for Interprofessional Team Building in Physician and Nurse Residency Programs.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To facilitate the delivery of excellent patient care, physician-nurse teams must work in a collaborative manner. We found that venues for the joint training of physician-nurse teams to foster collaboration are insufficient. METHODS: We developed a novel interprofessional experience in which resident physicians and nurse residents practiced communication and collaboration skills involving a simulated alcohol withdrawal patient care scenario. Theater students portrayed the patients experiencing withdrawal. The team cared for each patient in a fully equipped and functioning hospital room in a simulation center. Together, they collaborated on interventions and a patient plan of care. After the 10-minute bedside scenario, physician and nurse educators facilitated a joint debriefing session for the physician-nurse learning team. RESULTS: Learners noted an improvement in their ability to identify alcohol withdrawal (44% of participants preencounter to 94% of participants postencounter) and to communicate with team members (55% of participants preencounter to 81% of participants postencounter). CONCLUSION: The learners felt the physician-nurse team training experience was exceptionally valuable for its authenticity.