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The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals

Background: Errors related to patient safety are a major contributor to adverse incidents and preventable deaths. Interventions aimed at changing team behaviour and implementing World Health Organisation Safe Surgical Checklists (WHO SSCL) have been associated with improved outcomes. We required a c...

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Main Author: Robertson, Caroline Helen
Other Authors: Duys, Rowan
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author Robertson, Caroline Helen
author2 Duys, Rowan
author_browse Duys, Rowan
Robertson, Caroline Helen
author_facet Duys, Rowan
Robertson, Caroline Helen
author_sort Robertson, Caroline Helen
collection Thesis
description Background: Errors related to patient safety are a major contributor to adverse incidents and preventable deaths. Interventions aimed at changing team behaviour and implementing World Health Organisation Safe Surgical Checklists (WHO SSCL) have been associated with improved outcomes. We required a cost- and timeefficient vehicle to address low adoption rates of the WHO SSCL, barriers to interdisciplinary teamwork, and inadequate attention to patient safety. Method: We aimed to test the feasibility and efficacy of a simulation-based intervention to improve behaviour influencing patient safety in operating theatres. We performed a prospective cohort study using survey tools for attendee feedback immediately after the event and at 6 weeks. We report feasibility and efficacy data plus qualitative feedback from the education team describing the advantages of this instructional design. The intervention was a 2-stage simulation. First, learners watched a 5-minute film, set in the operating theatre, depicting an error-filled WHO SSCL timeout. Second, learners entered a simulated operating theatre environment with multiple errors and risks to patient safety. Learners identified errors and prioritised them in order of importance. Their observations were discussed in a small group debrief session facilitated by novice debriefers before a whole group plenary discussion. Results: One hundred and three health workers attended the education event and 77 (75%) responded to the Immediate Questionnaire. Surgeons (27), Anaesthetists (18) and Scrub Nurses (12) made up the majority of respondents. Sixty-seven (87%) participants agreed or strongly agreed that they “now have an increased awareness of patient safety”, while 75 (97%) agreed or strongly agreed that they “feel more committed to ensuring a team approach to patient safety”. Thirty (29%) attendees responded to the Delayed Questionnaire distributed via email 6 weeks after the event. Twenty-eight (93%) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more committed to ensuring a team approach to patient safety. Conclusion: The total cost of the event was low. Faculty reported that the instructional design afforded deliberate targeting of the importance of multi-disciplinary teamwork in patient safety. The simulation event was feasible at low monetary, time, and human resource costs. This approach offers a scalable instructional design that targets inter-professional learning.
format Thesis
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:52:03.211Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine
publisherStr Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37774 The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals Robertson, Caroline Helen Duys, Rowan Simulation patient safety safe surgery theatre safety WHO checklist low-cost Background: Errors related to patient safety are a major contributor to adverse incidents and preventable deaths. Interventions aimed at changing team behaviour and implementing World Health Organisation Safe Surgical Checklists (WHO SSCL) have been associated with improved outcomes. We required a cost- and timeefficient vehicle to address low adoption rates of the WHO SSCL, barriers to interdisciplinary teamwork, and inadequate attention to patient safety. Method: We aimed to test the feasibility and efficacy of a simulation-based intervention to improve behaviour influencing patient safety in operating theatres. We performed a prospective cohort study using survey tools for attendee feedback immediately after the event and at 6 weeks. We report feasibility and efficacy data plus qualitative feedback from the education team describing the advantages of this instructional design. The intervention was a 2-stage simulation. First, learners watched a 5-minute film, set in the operating theatre, depicting an error-filled WHO SSCL timeout. Second, learners entered a simulated operating theatre environment with multiple errors and risks to patient safety. Learners identified errors and prioritised them in order of importance. Their observations were discussed in a small group debrief session facilitated by novice debriefers before a whole group plenary discussion. Results: One hundred and three health workers attended the education event and 77 (75%) responded to the Immediate Questionnaire. Surgeons (27), Anaesthetists (18) and Scrub Nurses (12) made up the majority of respondents. Sixty-seven (87%) participants agreed or strongly agreed that they “now have an increased awareness of patient safety”, while 75 (97%) agreed or strongly agreed that they “feel more committed to ensuring a team approach to patient safety”. Thirty (29%) attendees responded to the Delayed Questionnaire distributed via email 6 weeks after the event. Twenty-eight (93%) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more committed to ensuring a team approach to patient safety. Conclusion: The total cost of the event was low. Faculty reported that the instructional design afforded deliberate targeting of the importance of multi-disciplinary teamwork in patient safety. The simulation event was feasible at low monetary, time, and human resource costs. This approach offers a scalable instructional design that targets inter-professional learning. 2023-04-20T10:31:32Z 2023-04-20T10:31:32Z 2022 2023-04-20T08:36:45Z Master Thesis Masters MMed http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37774 eng application/pdf Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences
spellingShingle Simulation
patient safety
safe surgery
theatre safety
WHO checklist
low-cost
Robertson, Caroline Helen
The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals
title_full The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals
title_fullStr The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals
title_full_unstemmed The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals
title_short The evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter-professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in South African hospitals
title_sort evaluation of a simulated theatre scenario as a tool to promote inter professional collaboration and engender a culture of increased awareness of patient safety in south african hospitals
topic Simulation
patient safety
safe surgery
theatre safety
WHO checklist
low-cost
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37774
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