Environmental Features of in Situ and Laboratory Simulations and Their Potential Impact on the Development of Teamwork Skills for Novice Trauma Professionals.

Background: The effect of environmental fidelity on the development of teamwork skills in health care simulations is unclear. This preliminary descriptive study explored how in situ and laboratory environments impact the development of teamwork skills among novice trauma professionals.

Method: Four teams of six novice trauma professionals participated in two in situ or two laboratory simulations. Environmental features such as noise, interruptions, and the presence of nonparticipating individuals were assessed. Teamwork skills were evaluated from video recordings with the Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM).

Results: In situ simulations involved higher levels of noise, more interruptions, and the presence of nonparticipating individuals compared with laboratory simulations. Teamwork skills in the in situ setting were rated as poor, with no improvement between simulations. In contrast, in the laboratory setting, teamwork skills were rated as good, with a 10-point improvement.

Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that the in situ environment may hinder the development of teamwork skills. Further research with larger samples is needed to explore these effects and guide educators in choosing optimal training environments for novice trauma health care professionals. .