Community-based Interprofessional Education Research Articles

Linking Interprofessional Community Health Experiences With Nursing Education: 15 Years and Counting.

Ensuring that nurses and other health care professionals are trained to work together in teams is critical. Recent literature describes interprofessional education (IPE) programs that meet community health needs. However, there is a need for descriptions of IPE programs embedded in the communities they serve. Bridging the Gaps (BTG) is a collaboration between academic health institutions/universities and community organizations in the northeastern United States. BTG links IPE with the provision of health-related services for under resourced communities. This article describes the development of one BTG Community Health Internship Program (BTG CHIP) affiliate site (BTG, Lehigh Valley). Since inception, 114 interns completed the program as part of BTG CHIP, Lehigh Valley, for a total of 3192days of service provided to the community. BTG CHIP, Lehigh Valley, serves as a case study for establishing similar community-based IPE programs. This article describes challenges, opportunities, and replication strategies.

A community-based geriatric interprofessional education experience and its impact on post-graduate collaborative practice

ABSTRACT While a growing body of interprofessional education (IPE) literature demonstrates a positive impact on learner knowledge, there is limited data on its long-term impact on collaborative practice (CP). With the growth of the aging population globally, understanding both the long-term impact on CP and sustainability of community-based geriatric experiential IPE programs are imperative. This study explores the impact of the Interprofessional Geriatric Curriculum (IPGC), a community-based geriatric IPE program, on post-graduate clinical practice among seven health professions. This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design, where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in the same online survey of health professionals’ to measure their perceptions of the impact IPGC has had on their respective clinical practice 1–3 years post-graduation. Forty-six per cent of health profession graduates provided clinical care for people 65 years of age or older; 81% worked in interprofessional teams; 80% reported the IPGC experience significantly impacted their practice (N = 137), and all used validated assessment tools taught in the IPGC program in their practice. Eight themes emerged from the list of what health professionals learned from IPGC that they use regularly in their clinical practice: four themes were interprofessional in nature (i.e. teamwork and team-based care, interprofessional communication, roles/responsibilities, and personal/professional) and four themes related to geriatrics (i.e. aging, screening and assessment, medications, and didactic content). This study is one of the first to describe the sustained influence of a community-based IPE program across multiple health professional disciplines on clinical geriatric practice.

Students' perceptions of the relevance of instructors' assessment items in online community-based interprofessional education

Introduction: This study aimed to acquire students' perceptions of the assessment items used by instructors implemented in the community-based Interprofessional Education (IPE) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also compared the students’ perceptions of the instructors’ assessment items regarding student characteristics. Motivation for joining the IPE program and a comparison between motivation and gender and disciplines were also identified in this study. Methods: The research method is observational with a cross-sectional approach. Sixth-semester medical, nursing, and nutrition students who had completed the community-based IPE program were involved. Students' perception was measured using a questionnaire on the instructors’ assessment items developed based on the IPE competencies. Motivation was measured using a Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Results: A majority of students across the three programs agreed or strongly agreed with the assessment items, and there were no significant differences in student perceptions from the variables of gender (p = 0.23) and disciplines (p = 0.68). The correlation between students' motivation and their perception of the instructors’ assessment items was significant (r_s = 0.61 with p < 0.01). However, there was a weak and not significant correlation between students' grade point average (GPA) with the perception of assessment items (r_s= 0.1 with p = 0.07). Conclusions: All instructors’ assessment items were still perceived as relevant and can be used to assess the students during IPE online learning. Thus, the result of this study can be considered to be used in another setting with a similar situation.

The effectiveness of community-based interprofessional education for undergraduate medical and health promotion students

BackgroundCommunity-based interprofessional education (CBIPE) has been proven effective in enhancing the interprofessional competencies of medical and health professional students. However, there is a lack of evaluation on the impact of experiential CBIPE among undergraduate medical and health promotion students in Thailand. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the influence of CBIPE learning on the collaborative competencies of these students.MethodsA one-group pre-posttest design in 193 (152 medical students and 41 health promotion) students were involved in the CBIPE program, later divided into 12 groups. Data was collected by direct observations of mentors using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS). The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the CBIPE program.ResultsA total of 175 (90.67%) completed ICCAS and satisfaction questions before and after the CBIPE program. The mean age of respondents was 20.29 ± 1.63 years; 60.57% were women and 39.43% were men. The results showed a significant increase in collaborative competencies before and after the 2-week course. Gender-stratified analysis showed an improvement after CBIPE training for all subscales in women, while the communication, collaboration, conflict management, and functioning team skills segment score was significantly higher in the post-assessment among men.ConclusionThe implementation of CBIPE learning was successful in enhancing collaborative competencies among both medical and health promotion students. These findings will provide valuable insights for the design and improvement of CBIPE learning programs in other universities.

Community-based interprofessional education in rural primary care

Health disparities and workforce shortages persist in the rural United States. In response, academic health professions programs are providing opportunities for students to participate in rural clinical rotations. We expanded an existing academic-practice partnership with a rural primary care clinic, in which students completed 4-week rotations in their discipline, to add an interprofessional community-based component. The goals were to: 1. Accelerate students’ acquisition of teamwork competence, specifically skills in team effectiveness, team communication, reflective practice, and situational awareness; and 2. Immerse students in community-based rural primary care practice with patients characterized by high rates of chronic illness and adverse social determinants of health. Teams of students participated in home visits with older adult patients that focused on social determinants of health and reducing barriers to health care.We applied a realist evaluation framework to evaluate the program, using data on patient profiles, student profiles, student pre- and post-scores on a teamwork measure; student reflections; preceptor observations of student performance; and perspectives about the program from clinic staff. The ACE-15 was used to measure teamwork. Forty-eight rural patients and 38 students participated. The ACE-15 mean score at T1 was 51.4 (SD 6.6) and at T2 was 56.7 (SD 3.6), a significant improvement (p < .05). Preceptor observations suggested that students’ teamwork skills improved over time. Student self-reflections indicated their appreciation for the opportunity to work in an interprofessional team and the value of visiting rural patients in their homes. Staff observed that patients received better care, and that the program benefited both students and patients.

Community Engagement in Co-designing an Innovative Health Equity Program: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION Community-based interprofessional education is a promising strategy for socializing students into team-based care and centering the voices of community members in health equity-focused work. Particularly in resource limited areas, it is vital to collaborate across institutions, professions, and constituents to plan and implement interprofessional education offerings. However, little is known about the factors that support the process of co-designing an interprofessional health equity program centering the community. METHODS Using a convergent, case study framework, this mixed methods project used quantitative data (Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory) and qualitative data from working group feedback forms, to evaluate our collaborative process. RESULTS Quantitative analysis reveals collaborative strengths that include skilled leadership, unique group purpose, and mutual respect. Collaborative challenges include appropriate cross-section of members and sufficient funds. Qualitative themes (analyzed to further illuminate quantitative results) include sense of purpose, importance of thoughtful leadership, and community engagement. DISCUSSION Building sustainable academic-hospital-community relationships and centering the community in health equity work are keys to success in co-designing an interprofessional health equity curriculum. Committed funding also supports sustainability and sends an important message about the value of community members and community-based work. While these recommendations may be common sense, they are not yet common practice.

Engaging the community through a longitudinal, interprofessional, interinstitutional experiential learning collaboration

Background Interprofessional education (IPE) and training in community settings is not commonly described in the literature. Studies primarily focus on clinical education of interprofessional teams in clinical practice and primary care. This is a description of a longitudinal, collaborative interinstitutional IPE project that engages community partners (CP) while delivering core IPE competencies.Interprofessional Education Activity: Twenty-seven students from five universities representing ten healthcare academic programs participated in the project. Participating CP were non-profit agencies developed to meet the needs of specific vulnerable, underserved populations. Students were divided into teams and then paired with CP. This was a six-month project, with students committing to 30 hours over two semesters. At the end of the project, students presented project deliverables to CP, faculty collaborative and other students. Interprofessional education collaborative (IPEC) domains were qualitatively assessed and students completed the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) at the beginning and conclusion of the project. Students provided written reflections at the conclusion of the project. Faculty completed the Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE).Discussion” Twenty-seven students (100%) students completed the project and twenty-one students (77.8%) completed the evaluation tools. Students demonstrated a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-project ISVS total scores (5.81 +/− 0.64 vs. 6.51 +/− 0.37). Teamwork, communication skills, and increased comfort with those from other professions were common themes in the student reflections.Implications: Community-based IPE provides a venue for healthcare professionals to engage and partner with community organizations. This project demonstrates an effective inter-institutional, interprofessional method of delivering IPE.

Stimulating Students' Interprofessional Teamwork Skills Through Community-Based Education: A Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BackgroundInterprofessional education (IPE) is suggested as a good means to prepare future healthcare professionals for collaborative work in interprofessional teams enabling them to solve complex health problems. Previous studies have advocated experiential IPE, including community-based IPE (CBIPE). This study aims to evaluate a CBIPE programme by exploring the students’ perception toward CBIPE design and toward groups’ teamwork.MethodsTo identify students’ perceptions of teamwork, the Interprofessional Teamwork Evaluation questionnaire was administered to 254 students of medical, nursing and midwifery programme. Three uni-professional focus group (FG) discussions were conducted to analyse the students’ perception of the design of community-based education and underlying reasons for teamwork.ResultsFGs reported three aspects that influence skills development in collaborative practice among students that shed light on why midwifery and nursing students held less positive perceptions of communication and mutual support: 1) communication gap due to lack of confidence, 2) contrasting ways of thinking affect communication in decision-making, and 3) the leadership culture in the health services.ConclusionA CBIPE programme was successfully implemented at Universitas Islam Sultan Agung. It demonstrated that students in the health professions can develop skills in collaborative practice despite having some problems with communication and mutual support.

Measuring the interprofessional collaborative competencies of health-care students using a validated Indonesian version of the CICS29

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study are to validate an Indonesian version of the Chiba Interprofessional Competency Scale (CICS29) and measure the interprofessional competencies of undergraduate health-care students following their completion of an interprofessional education (IPE) course. This study used a cross-sectional design and was preceded by a cross translation of the instrument and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which confirmed that the Indonesian-version CICS29 has good internal consistency comparable to the original model. The Indonesian version was then administered to 723 health-care students who had completed a community-based IPE course. Based on data gathered from 707 respondents (97.8%), it was found that their interprofessional competency was relatively good (mean score: 127.9 out of 145, 88.2%). The dental students scored consistently lower compared to students of other faculties, both in the overall CICS29 and all five of its subscales, three of which are specifically related to teamwork. The study has provided support for cross-cultural validity of undergraduate health-care students' interprofessional competency measures using CICS29. Further efforts are necessary to ensure that the students understand their roles and internalize the collaborative values and practices of all health professions.

Key factors affecting the integration of interprofessional education into human resources for health reform: a Lao People’s Democratic Republic case study

ABSTRACTLao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) with a population of 6.8 million is a low middle-income country in Southeast Asia. Despite economic development, Lao PDR is still characterized by a weak health system. The Ministry of Health has launched health reforms to provide better health services and University of Health Sciences (UHS) plays an essential role in Human Resources for Health (HRH) reform. Especially, the importance of its role in training health professionals from entry-level to continuing education has been increased. In 2016, the UHS embedded an Interprofessional Education (IPE) concept into a pre-qualifying course, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on IPE. As a pilot study, some students from faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing, and Medical Technology participated in a community-based IPE program. Results suggested that students participating in the IPE program showed more positive attitudes toward collaborative practice than students who did not participate in the IPE program. Based on the results, the UHS is planning to develop an IPE program for health workers. In this article, we describe the strategic international collaboration and discuss the keys to successful IPE planning and implementation in line with HRH reform.

Creating opportunities for interprofessional, community-based education for the undergraduate dental therapy degree in the School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Academics’ perspectives

Background. Interprofessional education (IPE) provides opportunities for students from two or more health profession disciplines to learn with, from and about each other, to foster collaborative practice in the future, when health professionals are expected to work in healthcare teams. While there are many documented examples of IPE among student health professionals in the literature, dental therapy student participation in IPE has been excluded. Objectives. To explore the opportunities for dental therapy students to participate in collaborative interprofessional, community-based initiatives by engaging with academics in the School of Health Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Methods. This qualitative study used audiotaped interviews and focus-group discussions with a purposively selected sample of academics, and the results were thematically analysed. Results. The academics noted several opportunities for dental therapy students to participate in interprofessional, community-based education on various platforms, including school, primary healthcare and other community-based settings. Barriers that may hamper implementation include finding a common time for IPE in the uniprofessional curricula, matching student numbers and lack of staff support. Conclusion. The study findings revealed that opportunities exist for community-based IPE interventions for dental therapy students. However, both the creation and implementation of interprofessional interventions require individual lecturers to act as drivers across all disciplines.

A community-based interprofessional education fall prevention project

Abstract This paper describes a grant-funded, interprofessional education (IPE) project involving occupational therapy, physical therapy, and pharmacy students who screened older adults in an assisted living/independent living community for falls. Occupational therapy students completed environmental screenings, physical therapy students completed gait and balance screenings, and pharmacy students completed medication reviews. This program was evaluated before, during, and after the experience by the students, faculty leaders, and community partner. The students completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) Questionnaire and the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). Quantitative and qualitative analysis were completed to determine the value of this project for interprofessional learning. The results indicated changes in perception of the students for teamwork, communication, patient care, and safety. The students also reported this activity to be realistic and applicable to their future practice. Faculty leader and community partner feedback revealed positive perspectives for the project. This program was also well-received in the community.

Development of a self-evaluation scale for undergraduates in community-based interprofessional education

Development of a self-evaluation scale for undergraduates in community-based interprofessional education

Facilitating community-based interprofessional education and collaborative practice in a health sciences faculty: Student perceptions and experiences

Background. Interprofessional education (IPE) aims at facilitating the collaborative practice of healthcare professionals. However, students have varied experiences with IPE and the collaborative practice initiatives implemented by universities. Objective. To explore the experiences and perceptions of health science students of an IPE Collaborative practice (IPECP) intervention they had engaged in. Methods. This qualitative study used two focus group discussions with a conveniently selected group of students who had been part of the intervention. Two researchers who were not part of the intervention conducted the interviews. The audiotaped interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical clearance for the study was received from the University of the Western Cape. Results. Three main themes emerged from the data: the usefulness of the framework introduced as part of the intervention; engaging in interprofessional groups; and the overall impact of the intervention. The students reported that they needed introduction to the framework earlier for it to be useful. It became apparent that students need to be prepared to work in interprofessional groups. The overall intervention was perceived positively, allowing students to become aware of other students’ roles. Conclusion. The students experienced a lack of knowledge and therefore struggled with the applications of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health as a framework to facilitate IPECP. However, they experienced the IPECP intervention as providing structure to the clinical placements, making it a more positive experience.

Negotiating challenges in community-based interprofessional education programs

Negotiating challenges in community-based interprofessional education programs

Curricular Factors that Unintentionally Affect Learning in a Community-Based Interprofessional Education Program: The Student Perspective

Background: The Dalhousie Health Mentors Program (DHMP) is a community-based, pre-licensure interprofessional education initiative that aims to prepare health professional students for collaborative practice in the care of patients with chronic conditions. This program evaluation explores the students’ 1) learning and plans to incorporate skills into future practice; 2) ratings of program content, delivery, and assignments; 3) perspectives of curricular factors that inadvertently acted as barriers to learning; and 4) program improvement suggestions.Methods: All students (N = 745) from the 16 participating health programs were invited to complete an online mixed methods program evaluation survey at the conclusion of the 2012–2013 DHMP. A total of 295 students (40% response rate) responded to the Likert-type questions analyzed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics. Of these students, 204 (69%) provided responses to 10 open-ended questions, which were analyzed thematically.Findings: While the majority of respondents agreed that they achieved the DHMP learning objectives, the mixed-methods approach identified curriculum integration, team composition, and effectiveness of learning assignments as factors that unintentionally acted as barriers to learning, with three key student recommendations for program improvement.Conclusions: Educators and program planners need to be aware that even well-intended learning activities may result in unintended experiences that hamper interprofessional learning.

Making interprofessional education real: a university clinic model

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an emerging focus in the professional training of allied health students. To date, IPE has occurred in classroom teaching or case simulations, rather than in the provision of client services. At the University of Queensland, students in occupational therapy, speech pathology and music therapy participate in both on-campus and community-based IPE clinics conducted by university staff. These clinics are planned and implemented to promote interprofessional learning for students, and to provide integrated service provision for children and young people in the community. An adapted version of Bronstein's model of interdisciplinary collaboration is used to guide IPE processes, including team orientation, joint goal-setting and intervention planning, and integrated delivery of therapy sessions. The development and implementation of these IPE clinics is described, together with challenges to clinical IPE in the university context.

Effect of a Community-based Interprofessional Education Program for Healthcare Students in Japan

Effect of a Community-based Interprofessional Education Program for Healthcare Students in Japan

Community-based interprofessional education for medical, nursing and dental students.

This paper presents final results from a 15-month project which evaluated the effectiveness of interprofessional education (IPE) for first and second year medical, nursing and dental students on a community-based placement. The paper initially discusses the current issues within the IPE literature. It goes on to provide background information of this placement. In presenting the project's methodology, the paper describes the use of a 'process-based' approach which tracked the education and social processes connected to IPE. Such an approach has helped overcome some of the problems of using before-and-after designs. Findings from this study are offered in relation to the perspectives of the three participant groups in the placement: students, tutors and service users/carers. The paper goes on to discuss these findings and to draw conclusions for community-based IPE.