An interprofessional approach to code stroke: a pilot study on integrating paramedics in the pre-clerkship medical simulation curriculum

This study evaluates pre-clerkship medical students’ perceptions and attitudes towards communication with EMS personnel during a code stroke simulation. Second-year medical students (n = 190) participated in an interprofessional code stroke simulation that involved collaborating as a team with paramedics and neurologists. Pre- and post-surveys were distributed to students that evaluated students’ past experiences with EMS personnel and their perceptions and attitudes towards communication with these responders. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests (p < 0.05) summarized quantitative items. Themes from open-ended questions were developed using the Glaser’s constant comparative method. In total, 190 students participated in the simulation and 110 completed the pre- and post-survey. Only 6.4% (n = 7) of students had prior prehospital experience and 19.1% (n = 21) had interacted with EMS personnel in the past. A significant number of students indicated that the collaboration with EMS personnel assisted with their decision-making in the simulated case (p < 0.0001). As a result of the simulation the students shared that they would enjoy working more with EMS personnel (p = 0.0092), and they feel confident in their ability to differentiate among prehospital responders (p < 0.0001). Themes from narrative responses included the realistic communication of the simulation (n = 23) and positive collaborative communication between disciplines (n = 21). This study supports that simulations that incorporate EMS personnel positively influence the perceptions and attitudes of medical students toward prehospital collaborative communication while increasing student knowledge concerning the roles of first responders in medicine.