Tabletop Simulation as an Innovative Tool for Clinical Workflow Testing.

Tabletop simulation can be used to support and test system processes for clinical workflows. This paper will describe an innovative approach to testing change in clinical workflows for direct admissions to the operating room and interventional radiology departments in a 700-bed urban hospital in the Pacific Northwest and will highlight the specific benefits to nurse leaders. The simulation exercise involved key stakeholders and subject matter experts from various departments and aimed to evaluate the process workflow, provoke discussion on gaps, uncover improvement opportunities, and formulate recommendations. The simulation experience was broadly acknowledged by those involved as novel, engaging, suitable for complex process changes in health care settings and promoting valuable collaboration.