Enhancing primary care and preventive services through Interprofessional practice and education

Joan Stanley,Natalie Di Pietro Mager,Terri Fowler,David Garr

doi:10.1186/s13584-020-00371-8

Abstract

Interprofessional (IP) practice and education are important when seeking to respond to the growing demand for primary and preventive care services. Multiple professions with synergistic expertise are needed to effectively provide health promotion, disease prevention, and patient education and to help patients with multiple comorbidities, chronic health conditions, and care coordination. A recent study by Schor et al. titled, “Multidisciplinary work promotes preventive medicine and health education in primary care: a cross-sectional survey,” compares the implementation of preventive services in three primary care models. Higher rates of health services, patient education, and health outcomes were documented in two different models of care involving persons in multiple professions when compared with independent solo physicians’ practices. In this commentary, we focus on the value of IP team-based care, continuing professional development, and the impact of the team on practice performance and health outcomes. Key components of effective IP teams include using consistent terminology to describe the team composition and function, team structures with purposeful selection of professions to address gaps in care, leadership support, and IP continuing professional development and education.

Highlights

Receipt of preventive services is associated with a reduction in morbidity and mortality, most notably in the areas of cancer, chronic disease, infectious disease, mental health, substance abuse, vision, and oral health [1]
Continuing professional development (CPD) and Interprofessional education (IPE) Schor et al [6] identified an association between preventive medicine training provided by the healthcare organization and the implementation of preventive measures and patient-directed health education tools
Access to quality primary care and preventive health services is associated with improved health outcomes and lower costs

Summary

Introduction

Receipt of preventive services is associated with a reduction in morbidity and mortality, most notably in the areas of cancer, chronic disease, infectious disease (immunizations), mental health, substance abuse, vision, and oral health [1]. There is an increasing focus, on the design, implementation, and evaluation of IP healthcare teams and IP education with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing costs.

Results

Conclusion