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Communication and patient safety in simulation for mental health nursing education

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) found that 65% of medical sentinel events or medical errors are associated with communication breakdowns. In addition to the JCAHO, The Institute of Medicine, in their Core Competencies for health care professional education, recommend improvement in professional communication, collaboration, and a patient-centered approach to provide safety. Consistency of opportunities for students to practice their communication and collaboration skills is limited based on the variety of clinical experiences that are available. Simulation would provide consistency in students' experiences. Students can practice giving a structured report, providing and receiving peer feedback, and obtaining patient feedback in a safe setting through a simulation experience. A structured hand-off shift report using a technique such as SBAR communication has been found to improve patient safety in health care environments. This paper examines the implementation of a simulation experience for students taking a Mental Health course in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program to support their practice of patient and professional communication, as well as, collaboration skills with a patient-centered approach using a standardized patient simulation.