title: Impact of peer pressure on accuracy of reporting vital signs: An interprofessional comparison between nursing and medical students.
abstract: The hierarchical relationship between nursing and medicine has long been known, yet its direct influence on procedural tasks has yet to be considered. Drawing on the theory of conformity from social psychology, we suggest that nursing students are likely to report incorrect information in response to subtle social pressures imposed by medical students. Second-year medical and third-year nursing students took vital signs readings from a patient simulator. In a simulation exercise, three actors, posing as medical students, and one nursing student participant all took a total of three rounds of vital signs on a high-fidelity patient simulator. In the first two rounds the three actors individually stated the same correct vital signs values, and on the third round the three actors individually stated the same incorrect vital sign values. This same procedure was repeated with actors posing as nursing students, and one medical student. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that nursing student participants (M = 2.84; SD = 1.24) reported a higher number of incorrect vital signs than did medical student participants (M = 2.13; SD = 1.07), F (1,100) = 5.51, p = 0.021 (Cohen's d = 0.61). The study indicated that social pressure may prevent nursing students from questioning incorrect information within interprofessional environments, potentially affecting quality of care.
authors.affiliation: a Medical Education and Research, Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , Alberta , Canada.
authors.forename: Alyshah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaba
authors.affiliation: a Medical Education and Research, Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , Alberta , Canada.
authors.forename: Tanya N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Beran
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D000067074:Peer Influence; D000066908:Simulation Training; D013337:Students, Medical; D013338:Students, Nursing; D055986:Vital Signs
keywords: Group conformity; interprofessional collaboration; interprofessional education; medical students; nursing students; peer pressure; simulation