The Effect of In Situ Simulation on Teamwork Attitudes in Nursing Students
Nursing students are not adequately trained in teamwork principles. Positive teamwork has been identified by governmental and accrediting bodies of healthcare to be an essential element in patient safety. TeamSTEPPS© is a program developed by the Department of Defense adapted to healthcare as a cost effective method to change the culture of healthcare organizations. A capstone project that implemented in situ simulation using a TeamSTEPPS© tool was conducted in a rural North Carolina nursing program. Eighteen students participated in the simulation and completed a pre and post TeamSTEPPS© Teamwork Attitude Questionnaire. Mean scores were noted to be considerably lower post intervention indicating a positive effect on attitudes could be attributed to the intervention.