The University of Hawaii launched the first joint training program of physician and nursing students Friday in an effort to improve communication, reduce medical errors and integrate patient care.

The first-semester students in UH-Manoa’s School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene and the John A. Burns School of Medicine learned each other’s roles "to bring an interdisciplinary approach to patient care," according to UH.

There were 66 medical students and 56 nursing students who participated in the first of a series of combined training sessions over the course of their four-year programs, said Damon Sakai, JABSOM director of medical student education. The intent is for the joint training sessions to permanently be a part of the curriculum, he said.

"If doctors and nurses have better communication and learnand train together more frequently then we think we can improvepatient care, that we can decrease medical errors and we can enjoy ourcareers more in the health care field," he said. "When you look back at medical errors that have led to tragicconsequences, one of the most common factors underlying those errors ispoor communication."

The Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 98,000 people die each year in hospitals as a result of medical errors, exceeding deaths attributable to motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer or AIDS, Sakai added.

"I’ve worked in medical situations before where sometimes there are things that have been lost in communication," said Allison Gobel, a first-year nursing student.

With anticipated shortages in both fields, there is an increasing need to work as a team in hospitals, clinics and other medical environments to prevent medical errors, as well as improve continuity of care.

"Before it was just nurses do one thing and doctors do one thing, and they’re just put in the same room and they don’t know how to work together," said Peter Deptula, a first-year medical student. "Being able to learn with the nurses we’re going to be working with in the field is very valuable."

The program also de-emphasizes the hierarchy that often exists in hospitals for a team approach that stresses equal value and respect of both professions to patient care.

"The doctor (has been) the center and then he or she kind of sets the plan for everyone else … rather than everyone contributing to the thought and the process of healing," said medical student Sarah Morihara. "There’s a lot of things a patient will say to a nurse that they won’t say to their doctor — just certain things that are important in the health care process that if they’re not communicating to each other can change the outcome and success of that care."

UH Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw likened the collaborative model to a football team, which trains together during practice and not just on game day.

"I often say that members of health care teams are engaged in the ultimate team sport — you need to ‘speak the same language,’ smoothly coordinate your different roles, and anticipate each other’s needs," Hinshaw told the group yesterday. "The success of your teamwork and ability to communicate often has life-or-death consequences."