Multistation Simulations and Deliberate Practice to Reinforce Huddle Behaviors in Interprofessional Student Teams

Abstract Background Communication gaps in health care systems occur because of different care priorities of health care professionals. Such gaps contribute to errors, a significant cause of death in the United States. Method Framed by Ericsson's Expertise Theory, 20 teams of interprofessional health science students rotated through four scenarios with built-in medication errors after exposure to TeamSTEPPS® Essentials skills. Results Huddles improved in size and duration between rounds one and four. Huddle duration was inversely associated with care delays and patient harm. Attitudes toward teamwork improved significantly. Conclusions Multistation simulations facilitate deliberate practice of skills, enabling student improvement over time in critical competencies.