The event consisted of two sessions. In Session 1, Dr. Kyota Nakamura, Professor of Osaka University, and Dr. Suresh Pillai, the director of the NUSMed Center for Healthcare Simulation gave lectures on the theme of the event: “Effective Team-Based Interprofessional Communication”. This theme, which is regarded nowadays as essential for safe and competent patient care, was an attractive one for students.
In Session 1, firstly, Dr. Nakamura, who has been devoted to medical safety for decades, gave a lecture titled “Safe and Competent Patient Care Created by Multi-Disciplinary Team – How to Make Your Team Effective”. In his lecture, he presented the concept of resilience engineering, the way to empower flexible systems to deal with complex or disruptive events, which are frequently observed in the clinical environment, and particularly, in the era of a pandemic.
Dr. Suresh shared the view that healthcare workers are often compelled to become part of a team composed of various professionals – in many cases not acquainted with each other – and therefore they need to be skilled in communication. In Dr. Suresh’s lecture “Importance of Effective Team-Based Interprofessional Communication for Safe and Competent Care in Singapore”, he presented team-based care as an effective measure to prevent medical errors and introduced practical techniques to improve communication within a team.
Participants from YCU, NUS and Osaka University
Following the lectures by professors, in Session 2, the attendees were divided into two groups and had discussions. In one group, students discussed on how team-based care had been implemented in each country. Through the discussion, the students seemed to realize the difficulty in putting things into practice in the real world. They recognized not only financial and human limitations, but also cultural issues could be barriers to effective team-based communication. For instance, a student from YCU noted that it could be hard to point out someone’s mistake in a team consisting of Japanese staff members who tend to value “wa” (harmony).
We were pleased to see the students actively interacting with each other and deepening the relevance of the theme by experience it and making it their own issue. Student exchange offers huge benefit to participants. We sincerely hope to hold another online event with NUS.
YCU and NUS students participating in group discussions
“I think it was a great opportunity and experience to talk and discuss with YCU students who experience a different healthcare system in Japan. Everyone was friendly and the time spent was fruitful! ” - Lee Z. P., NUS
“I learnt about the similarities and differences between education and learning experiences in the two schools. This event provided us very informative lectures, and engaging discussions with the students and doctors.” - Yuki O., NUS
“Exchanging information with other country's medical students is really precious for me. Thank you for holding a nice opportunity.” - Yusuke K., YCU
“NUS students were so proactive and confident, and I was inspired by them. The team members were polite and considerate, so I enjoyed speaking with them.” - Hiroko I., YCU
“Through this session, I could know there are different two types of safety concepts, which are wholly concerned with everyday medical performance.” - Tomohito M., YCU
Date: November 12, 2021, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Japan Standard Time)
Participants: 9 students (YCU 5 / NUS 4)
Lecturer: Dr. Kyota Nakamura, Professor at Osaka University, Department of Clinical Quality Management
Management: Dr. Suresh Pillai, Director of the NUSMed Center for Healthcare Simulation
Facilitators:
Dr. Hirotoshi Akiyama, Director, YCU Simulation Center, Clinical Professor, Gastroenterological Surgeon
Dr. Takashi Kosaka, Associate Professor at YCU, Department of Gastroenterological Surgery
Contents:
Session 1:
1) Lecture by Dr. Kyota Nakamura
2) Lecture by Dr. Dr. Suresh Pillai
Session 2: Group discussion by both universities’ students