Let Us Rethink Prescribing Education Together

Celebrating the Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration in Athletic Training

Introduction to this special issue.

The future of health professions education: Emerging trends in the United States.

Attitudes toward Healthcare Teamwork between Osteopathic Medical Students in an Interprofessional or Intraprofessional Clinical Education Program

Global perspectives on Covid-19 from the editorial board.

The past decade witnessed momentum toward redesigning the U.S. health care system with the intent to improve quality of care. To achieve and sustain this change, health professions education must likewise reform to prepare future practitioners to optimize their ability to participate in the new paradigm of health care delivery. Recognizing that interprofessional education (IPE) is gaining momentum as a crucial aspect of health care professions training, this article provides an introduction to IPE programs from three different academic health centers, which were developed and implemented to train health care practitioners who provide patient-centered, collaborative care. The three participating programs are briefly described, as well as the processes and some lessons learned that were critical in the process of adopting IPE programs in their respective institutions. Critical aspects of each program are described to allow comparison of the critical building blocks for developing an IPE program. Among those building blocks, the authors present information on the planning processes of the different institutions, the competencies that each program aims to instill in the graduates, the snapshot of the three curricular models, and the assessment strategies used by each institution. The authors conclude by providing details that may provide insight for academic institutions considering implementation of IPE programs.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to public health globally. Despite its consequences, there is little information about the knowledge, awareness, and practices towards AMR among healthcare workers (HCWs). Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge, awareness and practices regarding antimicrobial use (AMU), AMR and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) among HCWs who are involved in the implementation of AMS activities across eight hospitals in Zambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 64 HCWs from October to December 2023 using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Of the 64 HCWs, 59.4% were females, 60.9% were aged between 25 and 34 years, 37.5% were nurses, 18.7% were pharmacists, 17.2% were medical doctors and only one was a microbiologist. Overall, 75% of the HCWs had good knowledge, 84% were highly aware and 84% had good practices regarding AMU, AMR and AMS. Most of the HCWs (90.6%) responded that they had a multidisciplinary AMS team at their hospitals and were implementing the use of the WHO AWaRe classification of antibiotics. This study found good knowledge levels, high awareness and good practices regarding AMU, AMR and AMS among HCWs who were involved in the implementation of AMS activities in hospitals in Zambia. Additionally, most hospitals have been conducting AMS training and implementing the use of the WHO AWaRe classification of antibiotics. However, there is still a need to address some identified gaps in AMU and AMR through the strengthening of AMS activities in hospitals.

Interprofessional education: Growing focus on preparing students for team-based care

BackgroundInfections result from invasions of an organism into body tissues leading to diseases and complications that might eventually lead to death. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials has led to development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which has been associated with increased mortality, morbidity and health costs. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are designed to ensure appropriate selections of an effective antimicrobial drugs and optimizing antibiotic use to minimize antibiotic resistance by implementing certain policies, strategies and guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate practitioners’ perceptions regarding AMS implementation and to identify challenges and facilitators of these programs execution.MethodsCross-sectional study among health care providers in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia Hospitals. The data was collected using a survey including questions about demographic data and information about clinicians’ (physicians, pharmacists and nurses) previous experience with AMS and prescribing of antibiotics, the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding AMS programs’ implementation.ResultsMore than 50% of clinicians (N = 184) reported lack of awareness of AMS programs and their components, whereas 71.2% do not have previous AMS experience. The majority of clinicians (72.3%) noticed increasing number of AMR infections over the past 5 years and (69.6%) were involved in care of patients with an antibiotic-resistant infection. Around 77.2% of respondents reported that formulary management can be helpful for AMS practice and majority of respondents (79.9%) reported that the availability of pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility testing can be helpful for AMS. Major barriers to AMS implementation identified were lack of internal policy/guidelines and specialized AMS information resources. Lack of administrative awareness about AMS programs; lack of personnel, time limitation, limited training opportunities, lack of confidence, financial issue or limited funding and lack of specialized AMS information resources were also reported 65.8%, 62.5%, 60.9%, 73.9%, 50%, 54.3 and 74.5%, respectively.ConclusionOur study identified comprehensive education and training needs for health care providers about AMS programs. Furthermore, it appears that internal policy and guidelines need revision to ensure that the health care providers work consistently with AMS. Future research must focus on the benefit of implementing AMS as many hospitals are not implementing AMS as revealed by the clinicians. We recommend policy makers and concerned health authorities to consider the study findings into account to optimize AMS implementation.

Interprofessional education in health has been identified as a strategy to improve collaborative practice in health care. A need to move away from the training of the various professionals in silos has been identified as a mechanism to address the challenges and changes in the healthcare system. The implementation of interprofessional health education in the health disciplines for undergraduate students in order to promote teamwork among professionals and contribute to improved quality health outcomes is, however, complex and challenging to implement. The purpose of this article is to identify how, by whom and when interprofessional health education for undergraduate students could be implemented in the South African context by means of a realist review. Interprofessional health education was explored in both developed and developing countries with the focus mainly on developing countries and South Africa in particular. The framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice developed by the World Health Organisation (2010) was used as a reference. The authors clarified concepts about interprofessional health education, taking into consideration studies about interprofessional education internationally as well as nationally. The intention in this paper is to guide the reader to understand the various measures, context and outcomes associated with the term ‘interprofessional health education’. The measures identified for interprofessional health education involved the following: infrastructure, resources, management, stakeholders’ attitudes, teamwork and educational principles. As far as the context is concerned, this differs from developing and developed countries, since the nature of both the health and education systems of these countries differ. Interprofessional health education should take place in a meaningful and relevant context that reflects current or future trends. The desired outcomes for interprofessional health education should include collaboration among health professionals, thus resulting in improved health care.

The effectiveness of interprofessional education in university based health professional programs: A systematic review

The effectiveness of interprofessional education in university based health professional programs: A systematic review.

Pharmacists critical to managing antimicrobials, developing infection control procedures

Background Interprofessional education (IPE) is a crucial strategy for improving patient care and outcomes. Nutrition care is a common aspect of healthcare professionals' work, potentially enhancing IPE. This study examined faculty and student perspectives, assessed the current state nutrition education , and evaluated its potential for building student interprofessional competencies. Methods We adopted a phenomenological approach to explore perspectives and lived experiences among faculty and students recruited from three health faculties/schools from a university in Ghana with diverse backgrounds and programs of study including pharmacy, medicine, nutrition, nursing, midwifery and among others. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed through coding and thematic analysis. Results We interviewed 24 faculty and students. Participants broadly defined IPE as a collaborative learning technique that fosters mutual understanding and teamwork among students from various health disciplines. Professional hierarchies, logistical obstacles, and a lack of institutional support were among the challenges, even though many participants had good experiences, such as enhanced collaboration and greater appreciation of various professions. Due to implementation inadequacies, some students reported no exposure to IPE. A lack of experiential learning and real-world applications in the present curricula despite the recognition of the importance of nutrition education, especially in the care of mothers and newborns. Faculty and students pushed for more culturally appropriate, practice-based methods to improve nutrition education. Because of its cross-disciplinary relevance, participants determined that nutrition education was a promising platform for implementing IPE. Integrating IPE into curricula, encouraging early exposure, and encouraging group learning through clinical rotations and seminars were among the main suggestions to improve IPE. It's crucial to address issues like curriculum alignment and the breaking down of professional silos. Conclusion Integrating nutrition education into an IPE framework can enhance students' interprofessional competencies, improve teamwork, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes.

Given the emphasis on prevention in U.S. health care reform efforts, the importance of interprofessional education (IPE) that prepares health professions students to be part of effective health care teams is greater than ever. This study examined the prevalence and nature of IPE and interprofessional (IP) prevention education in U.S. academic health centers. The authors extracted a 10-item survey from the longer published IPE Assessment and Planning Instrument. In September 2010, they sent the survey to 346 health professions leaders in health sciences schools and colleges at 100 academic health centers. These institutions were identified via the online membership list of the Association of Academic Health Centers. The authors conducted descriptive statistical analysis and cross-tabulations. Surveys were completed by 127 contacts at 68 universities in 31 states and the District of Columbia. IPE was more prevalent than IP prevention education in all categories of measurement. Respondents affirmed existence of IPE in courses (85.0%) and in clinical rotations/internships (80.3%). The majority reported personnel with responsibility for IPE (68.5%) or prevention education (59.8%) at their institutional unit, and 59.8% reported an IPE office or center. This study provides evidence that IPE and IP prevention education exist in academic health centers, but additional attention should be paid to the development of IP prevention education. Sample syllabi, job descriptions, and policies may be available to support adoption of IPE and IP prevention education. Further effort is needed to increase the integration of IP and prevention education into practice.