"Room of horrors": Engaging interprofessional students in a hazards of hospitalization simulation

Abstract

<p>Hazards of hospitalization are costly and can prolong hospital stays, cause suffering, and even result in death. Medical and nursing students may not be aware of these hazards and may not be involved in quality-improvement projects to reduce them. An interprofessional curriculum on the hazards of hospitalization was taught to graduating medical and nursing students using a &ldquo;Room of Horrors&rdquo; (ROH), a simulation in which students are asked to identify safety hazards (e.g., risk factors for spread of infection, hospital-acquired conditions, and medication administration errors). Students completed two Room of Horrors excursions, first as individuals and then in interprofessional teams. Among nursing versus medical students, differences in the frequencies of identified hazards were calculated. Overall, identification of hazards was low for both groups. Nursing students were more likely to identify malfunctioning equipment, while medical students were more likely to identify medication issues. Hazard identification improved substantially when students worked in teams, particularly for hazards that were similar to those in the individual case. Many hazards remained unidentified in both excursions, indicating a need for further education. Given both the importance of hazards of hospitalization and the challenges that nursing and medical students had identifying them, we believe health systems should dedicate time, perhaps during new staff orientation, to provide training on this matter. Our results suggest that these curricula should be offered both individually and for interprofessional teams and should include an evidence-based debrief following the simulation event.&nbsp;</p>