Design and Implementation of an Interprofessional Death Notification Simulation

Background: The very nature of death notification is emotionally laden and requires evidence-based caring and supportive interventions, involving an interprofessional team approach. This article describes the development and implementation of an interprofessional death notification simulation involving nursing and social work students. Method: Interprofessional teamwork and the death notification process were considered in student responses to a facilitator created descriptive post-simulation survey. Results: Student comments include increased confidence, decreased anxiety, and increased awareness of the resources required in the death notification process. Student comments also included greater understanding of each discipline's role and the importance of working as a team. Conclusion: These results provide a framework that could be utilized to enhance interdisciplinary education through the use of simulation, while also enhancing students' knowledge and understanding of how to deliver a death notification based on best practices. (C) 2014 International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.