Interprofessional Communication Skills Sessions (ISBAR and Beginner Escape Room)

Purpose

The Phase II: Interprofessional Communication Skills Sessions (ISBAR and Beginner Escape Room) experience provides health professions students with an opportunity to practice efficient teamwork and interprofessional communication strategies. Through this interactive experience, students will further develop interprofessional team communication skills in preparation for the provision of team-based, patient-centered care.

Escape Room activity
Escape room activity

Learning Objectives

  • Develop awareness of how communication can impact team effectiveness. 
  • Demonstrate basic proficiency in the use of ISBAR.
  • Practice efficient teamwork and communication skills needed to provide patient-centered care.
  • Consider how to consult with other health professionals based on roles and responsibilities. 
  • Reflect on the importance of including the patient and the patient’s family in creating and implementing a care plan, with consideration of any social determinants that may impact a patient’s health and/or healthcare experience.

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Session Content and Learning Resources

Each two-hour session is facilitated by CIH faculty and staff and consists of two highly interactive learning activities designed to engage students and provide a safe space to practice and develop interprofessional communication skills.  

  • IP Beginner Escape Room: This activity challenges small, interprofessional groups of students to work together to complete a set of puzzles in order to 'escape' the escape room and successfully discharge the patient in a case scenario. Students will engage in a small group debrief following the activity.
  • ISBAR Exchange Activity: This activity first provides students with an overview of the ISBAR communication tool, including a video example of an effective use of this strategy.  Students then review a case scenario to engage in an ISBAR communication exchange with a student from another profession.
  • Learning Resources: Students review the TeamSTEPPS Video Toolkit and explore (in pairs) some other communication strategies they are interested in learning more about. 
  • Large-group Debrief: Student teams engage in a facilitated large group discussion about lessons learned through these two activities and the importance of practicing interprofessional communication skills to enhance team effectiveness and provide patient-centered care. 

Questions

Questions regarding our Phase II: Interprofessional Communication Skills Sessions? Please contact [email protected].