A86 Co-production of an interdisciplinary homelessness simulation week

Introduction: Working in co-production is a relatively new aspect of healthcare simulation, but evidence shows that participatory learning alongside Experts with Lived Experience has a positive impact on the learning of healthcare students [1]. Co-production enhances knowledge, safety, empathy, appreciation of disciplines, and recognition of lived experience’s value. [2]. As homeless people are statistically much more likely to experience ill health, improving staff training is a key way to ensure their needs are safely and holistically met [3]. A week of simulation was designed and delivered for 70 second year nursing students from Adult, Child and Mental Health branches at the University of Greenwich. The outcomes for this week included working across disciplines to learn from each other, to carry out in depth social histories for a variety of patients, recognise the nuances involved with caring for homeless patients and to exercise good communication skills when discussing sensitive information. Methods: Students engaged in four days of in-person simulation scenarios spanning various nursing disciplines to achieve their learning goals. Each day focused on a different aspect of nursing, complemented by contextualising activities. The week emphasised homelessness, with three experts contributing insights: two with personal experience of homelessness and one, a nurse leading a homelessness charity. Their input shaped scenario design and activities. They also participated in talks with students and staff on the final day, sharing their backgrounds and stories. Feedback was gathered using Google Forms at the end of the week. Results: Of the 70 students who took part in the simulation week, 41 provided feedback (58% response rate). The students were asked to rate their learning for the simulation sessions and activities, using a Likert scale from 1-5. They were also asked more specific text-based questions regarding their experiences. The results are presented in Table 1-A86, with the number of responses and in brackets, the percentage. Discussion: The simulation sessions, activities and talks received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with at least 83% of students reporting that they learned from these sessions and that they were able to build a better understanding of how they can support and work with homeless people in practice. Working in co-production allowed the scenarios and activities to relate to the real-life experiences of the patients that our students might encounter, and the talks from the Experts at the end of the week enabled the students to consolidate this learning and view their patients holistically. Ethics statement: Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable. References 1. O’Connor S, Zhang M, Trout KK, Snibsoer AK. Co-production in Nursing and Midwifery Education: A systematic review of the literature. Nurse Education Today. 2021;102:104900. 2. Clarke I, Philpott L, Buttery A. Pilot study: Design, delivery and evaluation of a co-produced multi-agency Mental Health Simulation-Based Education Programme. International Journal of Healthcare Simulation. 2023. 3. McNeill S, O’Donovan D, Hart N. Access to healthcare for people experiencing homelessness in the UK and Ireland: A scoping review. BMC Health Services Research. 2022;22(1).