Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approach from Undergraduate Health and Pre-Medical Students in Children's Health Educational Initiative.

Sophie R Zhao

doi:10.4172/2161-0711.1000266

Abstract

The importance of interprofessional training in healthcare to improve quality of care and health outcomes has been increasingly recognized. This pilot study used an interprofessional and interdisciplinary team of undergraduate health and pre-health students to establish a unique community partnership with a local elementary school in developing and implementing a nutrition/exercise educational intervention. Our results suggest that children as young as 8 years old are capable of learning new information related to the benefits of particular food groups, are capable of retaining this knowledge for 6 months, and that an intervention program as short as one hour every few months stand to make significant impact on children’s knowledge about proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Our results suggest the potential benefits of further expanding the short-term intervention into a longer-term community-based curriculum targeting a younger age group previously or currently practiced.. Furthermore, this pilot study suggests that undergraduate health and pre-health students can form an interprofessional and collaborative team to take an active role in the dissemination of nutrition knowledge in the community.

Highlights

In recent years, interprofessional education and training have been increasingly emphasized, in the healthcare field including nursing and medicine, because healthcare providers often work in collaborative teams of physicians, nurses, social workers, administrative personnel, and others [1]
From our experience in this study, we propose that undergraduate years are the ideal time for interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and community-based initiatives to be introduced into nursing, health, and pre-health education curricula
While our interventions were not as comprehensive as those relating to the CATCH Program, which includes modifications to school food options and increased physical activity [29], through our unique incorporation of undergraduates as facilitators, we have shown that health and pre-health students can potentially be valuable resources in developing and delivering school health education programs to young elementary school students in the community

Summary

Introduction

Interprofessional education and training have been increasingly emphasized, in the healthcare field including nursing and medicine, because healthcare providers often work in collaborative teams of physicians, nurses, social workers, administrative personnel, and others [1]. Interprofessional education and training are designed to set up a continuum of learning for healthcare professionals in order to encourage collaboration, integrate knowledge, and improve patient care [1,2]. There are limited studies and implementations of interprofessional healthcare education and training at the undergraduate stage of education in the United States, where undergraduate education is separate from professional healthcare education. This pilot study takes an interprofessional and interdisciplinary approach and utilizes a community partnership to address a rising health concern in children: obesity

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion