title: Learning by viewing versus learning by doing: A comparative study of observer and participant experiences during an interprofessional simulation training.
abstract: Larger student groups and pressure on limited faculty time have raised the question of the learning value of merely observing simulation training in emergency medicine, instead of active team participation. The purpose of this study was to examine observers and hands-on participants' self-reported learning outcomes during simulation-based interprofessional team training regarding non-technical skills. In addition, we compared the learning outcomes for different professions and investigated team performance relative to the number of simulations in which they participated. A concurrent mixed-method design was chosen to evaluate the study, using questionnaires, observations, and focus group interviews. Participants included a total of 262 postgraduate and bachelor nursing students and medical students, organised into 44 interprofessional teams. The quantitative data showed that observers and participants had similar results in three of six predefined learning outcomes. The qualitative data emphasised the importance of participating in different roles, training several times, and training interprofessionally to enhance realism. Observing simulation training can be a valuable learning experience, but the students' preferred hands-on participation and learning by doing. For this reason, one can legitimise the observer role, given the large student groups and limited faculty time, as long as the students are also given some opportunity for hands-on participation in order to become more confident in their professional roles.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences , Bergen University College , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Marit Hegg
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Reime
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences , Bergen University College , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Johnsgaard
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences , Bergen University College , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Fred Ivan
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Kvam
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences , Bergen University College , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aarflot
authors.affiliation: b Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care , Haukeland University Hospital , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Janecke Merethe
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Engeberg
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences , Bergen University College , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Breivik
authors.affiliation: b Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care , Haukeland University Hospital , Bergen , Norway.|c Department of Clinical Medicine , University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Guttorm
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brattebø
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D019370:Observation; D010348:Patient Care Team; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D024382:Professional Role; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000379:methods*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Interprofessional education; learning by doing; mixed methods; observational learning; patient safety; simulation-based interprofessional team training