Abstract
BACKGROUND: Undergraduate curriculums of healthcare professionals, designed as discipline-specific silos, focus more on knowledge and less on skills, and minimally on nontechnical skills and team dynamics. Lack of prior team training often results in poor team dynamics in face of the challenges of managing high stakes crisis scenarios of acute pediatrics. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Interprofessional Simulation Education (IPSE) using Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) and the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) framework for undergraduate medical and nursing students. METHODS: A one-group pre-post study design was adopted with intervention consisting of in-situ interprofessional simulation of a pediatric cardiac arrest scenario using RCDP methodology, structured within the TeamSTEPPS framework. Assessment measures included multiple choice question (MCQ) based test, team Objectively Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), Team Performance Observation Tool (TPOT), and self-perceived confidence surveys. Participants’ feedback were collected regarding the interprofessional training experience. RESULTS: A total of 72 third-year students, comprising 46 MBBS and 26 BSc Nursing students, participated in this study conducted across 12 interprofessional simulation training sessions. The intervention led to significant improvements across all measured domains. Knowledge acquisition, assessed using MCQs, showed a marked increase, with post-test scores demonstrating significantly higher median (IQR) values compared to pre-test scores pre-test median 6 (2) vs. post-test median 8 (2), p < 0.01). Similarly, team-based clinical skills, evaluated through Team OSCE scores, improved substantially following the training pre-training median 6 (2.25) vs. post-training median 17 (2), p < 0.002). Assessment done using TPOT also demonstrated statistically significant enhancement across all 5 domains, i.e. team structure, communication, leadership, situational monitoring and mutual support. Furthermore, learners reported a notable increase in self-perceived confidence related to managing pediatric emergencies. Feedback on sessions’ content, interprofessional collaboration development, skill acquisition and educational value showed high learner endorsement. CONCLUSIONS: The novel combination of RCDP methodology within the TeamSTEPPS framework in IPSE can help in development of effective individual skills and teamwork competencies among novice learners. Future studies should examine long-term retention of these skills and their transfer to clinical practice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-08302-4.