Opioid Crisis: An IPE Approach

Over 100,000 people died from drug overdose in 2022, with approximately 76% of those deaths involving opioids. Training health professions students in a simulated environment about the proper use of naloxone, is one solution for decreasing this death rate and supporting effective interprofessional management of emergency situations. Furthermore, an interprofessional simulation can improve communication and mutual respect for future healthcare colleagues.Implementation: Several short-medical emergency simulations with structured prebriefs and debriefs were conducted in two separate semesters, focusing on the administering of naloxone during suspected drug overdose scenarios.Evaluation plan: Fifty-five healthcare students from 6 professions (dental, medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, paramedicine and nursing) participated in the simulation sessions. All students reported increased confidence in their ability to communicate and work effectively as an interprofessional healthcare team as a result of this simulation. Several students expressed a new awareness and appreciation of the role other health professionals can play in managing emergency situations.Outcome(s) and significance: Student qualitative feedback about the simulation experience was positive, noting that it fostered important communication and teamwork skills for interprofessional care. Students appreciated that this simulation gave them a safe environment to learn the proper way to administer naloxone. The research team identified several takeaways for best practices in interprofessional simulation, including the importance of structured pre-briefing and debriefing to enhance interprofessional learning. Additionally, the logistical considerations of designing a simulation were crucial to enabling greater student participation and engagement.