Impact of Chinese EST program on interprofessional education: a prospective pilot study

The impact of TeamSTEPPS in middle-income countries remains to be demonstrated. As a collaborative intervention, this article examines the results of a mixed-methods pretest/posttest study comparing the TeamSTEPPS program with the Emergency Simulated Scenarios and Teamwork Tools (EST) program - an adapted version of TeamSTEPPS - during emergency simulations. Conducted in October 2024 at the Clinical Skills Training Center of a top-tier teaching hospital, this exploratory study involved 10 residents and 20 nurses, with the sample size using standard calculation formula. The study employed the Big Five Personality Inventory and the General Self Efficacy Scale to assess personality, and the Team Emergency Assessment Scale to quantify team performance. The program effectiveness was comprehensively evaluated using the Training Satisfaction Questionnaire, the NASA Task Load Index, and the Readiness of Health Care Students for Interprofessional Learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide reviewed by two experts. The results indicate that 93% of participants hope to take the same courses. All groups demonstrate positive readiness toward interprofessional learning (experimental: MD = 3.73; control: MD = 2.67; <i>p</i> < .01) and team performance (experimental: MD = 9.35; control: MD = 6.93; <i>p</i> < .01). Experimental group achieves higher knowledge test scores (experimental: MD = 9.13; control: MD = 7.53; <i>p</i> < .05) and lower cognitive loads (experimental: MD = 34.26; control: MD = 33.26). There is also a statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy in the experimental group (experimental: MD = 3.87; <i>p</i> < .01). An interesting finding is that teamwork performance can correlates with the leader's personality (correlation coefficients = 0.52; <i>p</i> < .05). Qualitative data reveal three themes: positive attitudes toward the training design; high acceptance of EST theory course; and improvement in the attitudes, skills, and knowledge. These findings suggest that the EST program can effectively equip residents and nurses to enhance team performance in emergency settings in China.