Interprofessional Collaboration Competencies of Nursing Students, Nurse Practitioner Students, and Paramedics in a Simulated Palliative Home Care Setting: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Post-secondary institutions do not adequately prepare future professionals to provide quality palliative care. Furthermore, the competencies necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice in home-based palliative care are poorly described in the scientific literature. A palliative care simulation involving standardized patients and paramedics would be a strategy to educate nursing students and nurse practitioner students who have little opportunity to experience interprofessional collaborative palliative care in the home.

Objective: Describe the interprofessional competencies of nursing students, nurse practitioner students, and paramedics during a home-based palliative care simulation according to a National Competency Framework.

Method: This pilot study is qualitative descriptive. Six nursing students, five nurse practitioner students, and three paramedics participated in home palliative care simulations involving standardized patients and completed an interprofessional collaboration competencies rubric. A focus group was held after the simulation. Performances were observed using simulation recording and debriefing and assessed using an interprofessional collaboration competencies rubric.

Results: The competencies best mobilized were person-centred care (and family-centred care for the nurse practitioner students and paramedics), as well as interprofessional communication (for the nurse practitioner students). Competencies that need further development are role clarification, teamwork, collaborative leadership (for all three groups), interprofessional conflict resolution (for nurse practitioner students and nursing students), and interprofessional communication (for nursing students and paramedics).

Conclusion: This simulation involving standardized patients provides a learning context for mobilizing palliative care interprofessional collaboration competencies at home.