A Blended Active Learning Pilot: A Way to Deliver Interprofessional Pain Management Education

Victoria Wood,Lynda Eccott,Lesley Bainbridge

doi:10.3390/pharmacy1020218

Victoria Wood, Lynda Eccott + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy1020218

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Journal: Pharmacy	Publication Date: Nov 27, 2013
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of British Columbia

Abstract

This article presents an innovative approach to interprofessional education that places learning in the context of a specific clinical area that is relevant to pharmacy students as well as students from a number of other health professions; in this case pain management. Interprofessional pain education that teaches a team approach to pharmacy students is essential for improving pain management practices. The interprofessional education model presented, based on a pilot of a series of interprofessional pain management modules, is designed to be flexible, using a modular format that incorporates both online and face-to-face learning. The model was developed as a means of overcoming some of the challenges, such as scheduling, which make the integration of interprofessional education into curricula difficult. This technology enabled education model has been piloted and implemented with groups of pharmacy students who were placed into teams with students from other disciplines such as medicine, nursing, and social work. This article presents the educational strategy and its development; describes the interprofessional pain management modules; discusses findings from three pilot evaluations of the modules; shares lessons learned; and highlights the strengths of the approach.

Highlights

According to a growing body of literature, ―human service professions are facing problems so complex that no single discipline can possibly respond to them effectively‖ ([1], p. 28)
Interprofessional education helps to ensure that future health professionals develop competencies, in the form of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and judgments that will enable them to work collaboratively to be able to provide the kind of comprehensive pain assessment and management that is required
Evaluations from three different pilots, in between which modifications were made to the modules based on previous feedback, indicate that online interprofessional education needs to be of high quality; be integrated with face-to-face learning; use content as a vector; and focus on real situations

Summary

Introduction

According to a growing body of literature, ―human service professions are facing problems so complex that no single discipline can possibly respond to them effectively‖ ([1], p. 28). Complex conditions, such as chronic pain, require a comprehensive approach where professions, such as pharmacy, collaborate with other health professionals from different disciplines to provide seamless care. One in five Canadians report experiencing chronic non-cancer pain, making it critical that future healthcare practitioners receive pre-licensure pain education in order to ensure that they are competent in pain management when they enter the workplace [2]. Interprofessional education helps to ensure that future health professionals develop competencies, in the form of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and judgments that will enable them to work collaboratively to be able to provide the kind of comprehensive pain assessment and management that is required. In the course of their education, many health professional students, including pharmacy students, receive few opportunities to learn with, from and about other disciplines [3]. Interprofessional education is frequently extracurricular, leaving the formal curricula to concentrate on discipline specific clinical knowledge and skills

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