Interprofessional Education Sessions Research Articles

Interprofessional On-floor Education on Oxygen Therapy in COVID-19 Patients, Cardiac Arrest, and Procedural Sedation: Perception of Health-care Workers in Emergency Setting.

ObjectiveThere is paucity of evidence for interprofessional education (IPE) conducted within the working environment of emergency departments (EDs). This study demonstrates favorable perception of on-floor IPE sessions conducted in a busy emergency department.Materials and MethodsBetween January and December 2020, IPE was conducted in EDs using low fidelity manikins and involved nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and medical students already present on floor. The three key areas were, taught cardiac arrest, escalating oxygen therapy for COVID-19 patients, and procedural sedation. Each session lasted 30 min, and feedback was obtained immediately after the session in both transcribed and written forms through scannable survey monkey links.ResultsForty-seven sessions were conducted covering the three topics for 141 participants. The majority of the participants benefited from on-floor IPE and preferred this approach in the future. Both participant and faculty recommended to have some protected time to maximize the learnings.ConclusionIPE in the clinical environment is feasible, with careful planning it can enhance collaborative learning in the ED.

Medical and pharmacy students’ perspectives of remote synchronous interprofessional education sessions

BackgroundInterprofessional education (IPE) at university level is an essential component of undergraduate healthcare curricula, as well as being a requirement of many associated regulatory bodies. In this study, the perception of pharmacy and medical students’ of remote IPE was evaluated.MethodsA series of IPE sessions took place via Zoom and students’ feedback was collected after each session. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed.Results72% (23/32) of medical students strongly agreed that the sessions had helped to improve their appreciation of the role of pharmacists, whereas 37% (22/59) of pharmacy students strongly agreed, reporting a median response of ‘somewhat agreeing’, that their appreciation of the role of general practitioners had improved. This difference was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.0143). Amongst students who responded, 55% (53/97) identified remote teaching as their preferred mode of delivery for an IPE session.ConclusionsThe survey demonstrated that the students valued the development of their prescribing skills as well as the ancillary skills gained, such as communication and teamwork. Remote IPE can be a practical means of improving medical and pharmacy students’ understanding of each other’s professional roles, as well as improving the skills required for prescribing.

Comparing Virtual to In-Person Delivery of Continuing Medical Education in Dementia Care: Which Is Preferred?

There is limited understanding of learners' perceptions of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the use of virtual modalities for interprofessional education (IPE) in primary care. Four of 7 in-person annual "Booster Day" IPE sessions for health professionals working in primary care-based memory clinics in Ontario, Canada, were canceled when the pandemic was declared; these sessions were replaced with 2 sessions delivered via live-streamed videoconferencing. This study compares Booster Day session participants' perceptions of the in-person and virtual sessions and assesses their preferences for in-person or virtual sessions in the future. Survey methodology. Interprofessional primary care-based memory clinic team members attending 1 of 5 annual IPE events, 3 delivered in-person immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and 2 subsequently delivered virtually via videoconferencing. Chi-squared test and analysis of variance was used to identify significant differences in reaction, attitude, and preference ratings between delivery modalities. There were no significant differences in satisfaction, relevance, knowledge acquisition, and intentions to apply new knowledge between delivery modalities. Although attendance via videoconferencing was perceived as useful, enjoyable, engaging, and as more feasible to attend, it was rated as less enjoyable and perceived as having fewer opportunities for networking than in-person sessions. Most participants preferred in-person sessions. Quality engagement and networking, as afforded by in-person IPE, are highly valued by health professionals attending dementia-related education. IPE on complex health issues of the older people requiring interprofessional perspectives may be best suited to in-person formats.

Creating an interprofessional education package on patients' spiritual needs.

This article outlines the experiences of a Scottish healthcare chaplain. After a student nurse expressed a dated view of chaplains, I realised it was my responsibility to refresh it. After reflection I planned, developed and implemented an interprofessional education session for nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (NMAHP) students on clinical placement. I had to develop awareness of learning theories, preferences and styles, and explore different methods of delivery. Since NMAHP students can be undergraduate, postgraduate, school leavers or career changers, the session is multi-generational and interprofessional. Attendee feedback was used to review the learning session. This package was developed and shared with my team but may be of value to other healthcare chaplains or spiritual care educators to introduce spiritual care to NMAHP students on clinical placement. It will also be a useful resource for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to expand their understanding of the role.

Interprofessional education to implement patient falls education in hospitals: Lessons learned.

The aim of this study was to design, deliver and evaluate an interprofessional education programme for healthcare professionals on how to implement a modified version of the safe recovery programme to prevent falls in hospitalized patients. Mixed methods design incorporating pre- and post education surveys and individual semi-structured interviews. Thirty-four health professional participants attended a 1-h face-to-face or Zoom® interprofessional education session to learn how to deliver an evidence-based patient falls prevention education strategy, the modified Safe Recovery Programme. A 1-hour education session was insufficient to build full confidence to deliver the Safe Recovery Programme. There was no statistically significant change in participant views on interprofessional collaboration. Participants recommended prior consultation and preparation before delivery of IPE, with additional opportunities for discussion and feedback during implementation with patients. The findings highlight the importance of interprofessional education for evidence-based interventions in hospitals. Health professionals value education that is timely, interactive, realistic and engaging.

Student Perspective on a Predoctoral Interprofessional Education Initiative

Objective- The purpose of this study was to investigate students' perspectives on a newly implemented program of Interprofessional education (IPE) in terms of its effectiveness in increasing the awareness about other health care professionals and providing tools to emerging dental professionals for comprehensive health care needs. Methods- A new IPE course was incorporated in the second year of the predoctoral dental curriculum, and educators and students from various health professionals came together to provide a collaborative learning environment. The study evaluated the survey data from the graduating classes of 2019 and 2020 in the predoctoral program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. The students were surveyed during and at the end of the course to obtain their perspectives on the effectiveness of the program. Result-The results of the surveys showed most student respondents agreed strongly that they liked getting information from other health professionals and 93-95% agreed that collaborating with other members of the health care team can help facilitate patients' overall health care. The IPE sessions helped bring about awareness of interprofessional relations and communications within the health care team and prepared the students for holistic patient care. Conclusion- The IPE methods facilitated an interactive and interprofessional learning environment to assist students in developing awareness of interprofessional relations and communications within the health care team. The connections between oral and systemic health were reinforced, thus giving predoctoral dental students a wider view of patient treatment and consideration for their patients’ comprehensive health care needs.

Evidence and consensus-based clinical practice guidelines for management of overweight and obesity in midlife women: An AIIMS-DST initiative.

Evidence and consensus-based clinical practice guidelines for management of overweight and obesity in midlife women: An AIIMS-DST initiative.

The use of inter-professional education (IPE) healthcare law and ethics scenario based learning sessions amongst nursing, midwifery and law students: A qualitative investigation

BackgroundThe Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2018) require registrants to practice ethically and lawfully. Nevertheless, in 2019–2020, the NMC received 5704 referrals regarding registrants' fitness to practice, many of these referrals related to registrants' criminality, clinical competence, and misconduct. Additionally, litigation within healthcare remains a concern. NHS Resolution (2020) reported costs of payments relating to clinical negligence schemes of £2324.2 million in 2019/20. This paper discusses a qualitative investigation of healthcare law and ethics teaching and learning within undergraduate midwifery and nursing curricula and the use of scenario based (inter-professional education) IPE sessions amongst nursing, midwifery and law students. MethodsTwo scenario based IPE sessions attended by nursing, midwifery and law students were delivered in addition to existing curricula. Scenarios were based on real life cases. Students collaborated to identify means of managing legal and ethical issues arising from the scenarios. Sessions were facilitated by lecturers from the schools of law, midwifery and nursing. Semi structured interviews were completed with IPE session participants and academics with an interest in healthcare law and ethics (students n = 3, academic staff n = 3). Thematic content analysis was applied to interview data.FindingsScenario based IPE sessions are valued by participants who claim they are effective in enabling the development of knowledge and understanding of healthcare law and ethics while providing insight into the application of theory in practice. Participants claimed that healthcare law and ethics was a fundamental part of caring professions and essential to nursing and midwifery curricula. ConclusionSubstantial numbers of nurses and midwives are called to account by their professional body and in law for issues related to their practice, with significant financial and personal costs. Healthcare law and ethics remains fundamental to professional practice with IPE scenario based sessions offering a means to develop knowledge and enable students to consider ethical, legal and professional issues.

Interprofessional Education for Interpreting and Social Work Students—Design and Evaluation

Public service interpreters and social workers frequently work with each other. A training approach that seeks to bring learners from two professional areas together is interprofessional education. This paper describes and discusses interprofessional education sessions for interpreting and social work students conducted over 3 years. We report on how these were designed and delivered and on students’ evaluation of learning outcomes. Evaluations from students were elicited via anonymous questionnaires in paper/ electronic form. Responses were gained from 218 of 442 participating students on the following: level of confidence to later work with professionals of the other disciplinary background; level of importance of pre-interactional activities; and self-awareness of performance skills when interacting with a member of the other professional group. Confidence levels are reported as high, and pre-interactional activities are rated as important. Responses on performance skills relate to emotional and verbal features as well as to content knowledge and terminology.

Effectiveness of an Interprofessional Education Model to Influence Students' Perceptions on Interdisciplinary Work.

To prepare students adequately for the workplace, training on interprofessional practice should be included in the curricula of future health professionals. This study evaluated the effect of an interprofessional education session on undergraduate students' attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. A total of 225 medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and nutrition and dietetics students were randomized to either an intervention (working together interprofessionally, n = 111) or control group (working together with their own profession, n = 114). Pre- and posttest assessment was performed with an adapted version of the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale. A statistically significant improvement in attitude for Perception of Competence Own Profession (0.82, p = .008) and Perception of Actual Cooperation (1.10, p = .004) was found for students in the intervention group compared with students in the control group. Interprofessional education sessions were likely to be effective on undergraduate students' attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(9):494-499.].

Evaluating student knowledge about sexual exploitation using an interprofessional approach to teaching and learning.

The aim of this study was to qualitatively assess student perceived impact of a novel interprofessional approach to delivering education on sexual exploitation (SE). This article reports on research that we designed, delivered and evaluated to develop an interprofessional community of learning, enabling SE to be discussed with second-year undergraduate students. Participants came from a broad range of specialties. Following the study, students reported an increased level of awareness, understanding and confidence when working with SE. This interprofessional education session has since been incorporated into the nursing, midwifery and allied health programme in a local university and is part of a second-year undergraduate module on knowledge and skills for safe practice.

Student pharmacists and mental health nurses training together in suicide prevention: an evaluation of interprofessional education

Abstract Introduction Suicide prevention is a Government priority and affects every sector of society.(1) The role of mental health nurses (MHN) in suicide prevention is more obvious than that of pharmacists. However, the requirement for suicide prevention training in community pharmacy staff has been incentivized in England through its inclusion in the Pharmacy Quality Scheme. (2) There is no standardized requirement for suicide prevention training in the MPharm degree so we curated an interprofessional education (IPE) session involving pharmacy and MHN students in order to learn about suicide prevention in a mutually beneficial way. Aim We aimed to evaluate the IPE session to understand the attitudes towards suicide and preparedness to help someone thinking about or planning suicide of both sets of students. We aimed to compare any changes in attitude before and after the session both within and between pharmacy students and MHN students. Methods We delivered two IPE sessions on suicide, 3.5 hours in length. Students attended one session. This was compulsory for pharmacy students and optional for MHN students. We evaluated the session through a duplicated, anonymous online survey, via the Qualtrics® platform, at the start and end of the session. Students were informed that this was an optional evaluation. They self-assigned a code that we used to link their answers. We invited students to answer a series of questions to assess their attitudes and preparedness to suicide prevention. We summarised these data using descriptive statistics related to individual statements and composite scores. We used Independent-samples median test and Wilcoxon-Signed Rank Tests to compare data distributions between professional groups before the session, between groups after the session and then to understand change within subject groups, using paired data only. Results 104 students completed the initial survey of which 46% (n=48) were pharmacy students. MHN students reported being more prepared to respond to suicide (median:14, IQR 12–15) than pharmacy students (median: 8, IQR 6–10). Prior to the session, there were no statistically significant differences in responses to the attitude questions between MHN and pharmacy students, barring one question (‘I don’t feel comfortable assessing someone for suicide risk’). A statistically significant increase in preparedness was reported both pharmacy students (p<0.005) and MHN students (p<0.005), following the session (n=76 in paired analysis). MHN students (median: 15, IQR 15–17) continued to report higher levels of preparedness than pharmacy students (median=13, IQR: 10–15). Conclusion We present an innovative session in suicide awareness involving two professional groups. MHN self-reported higher levels of preparedness in suicide prevention than pharmacy students both before and after the session but an improvement was seen in both groups. These results indicate that IPE between MHN and pharmacy students could improve preparedness relating to suicide. More work is needed to explore the optimal content of training and longitudinal impact of training involving more students, as well as understanding if self-reported preparedness translates to professional behaviour, all of which are limitations of the current study

‘How did he say that?’ interpreting students’ written reflections on interprofessional education scenarios with speech language therapists

ABSTRACT The project aimed to explore what interpreting students’ written reflections reveal about the impact of Interprofessional Education (IPE) on their development as future practising professionals. Student health interpreters from the Auckland University of Technology and postgraduate Speech Science students from the University of Auckland, who were already registered speech and language therapists (SLTs), had a shared 3-hour interprofessional education session which involved semi-authentic role play scenarios. Student healthcare interpreters took turns taking on the role of interpreter or client, while SLTs conducted assessment sessions as they normally would. Scenarios involved a child with language delay accompanied by a parent, and an elderly adult being assessed following a stroke. Student health interpreters reflected on the experience in written reflective assignments which were thematically analysed and coded into five main themes using NVivo software.) Student reflections showed that they had found the experience very beneficial, with comments focusing on the interpreters’ code of ethics; understanding each other’s roles and how these differ in the SLT context; collaboration between professionals; competence; and the importance of practice for problem-solving.

Clinical inter-professional education activities: Students’ perceptions of their experiences

Students from different health disciplines should learn together during certain periods of their education to acquire skills necessary for solving the health problems. The Faculty of Health Sciences of University of the Witwatersrand created inter-professional education (IPE) activities for students to assess clinical IPE groups' perceptions of IPE experiences and to identify lessons learnt during IPE sessions. This was a qualitative study with review of the students' post IPE feedback forms. The students were granted 'protected time' of three full days over a period of two months to participate in IPE activities. Students felt that knowledge about health team members was gained and that IPE groups should have more than one person from each field with the same level of clinical exposure. The students indicated the need to have regular IPE activities and if possible to incorporate this into clinical practice for them to experience it in daily clinical practice. Participating in the IPE activity made students gain appreciation and respect for other health professionals' roles and scope. When student groups are big, patient observations can be done as this does not compromise IPE learning outcomes. Group composition should be kept in mind to cater for the learning needs of all students. If it is not possible to meet the needs of all professions, smaller groups with professions applicable to case can be created.

Interpreter-mediated doctor-patient interactions: interprofessional education in the training of future interpreters and doctors

ABSTRACT This paper reports on interprofessional education (IPE), a teaching and learning strategy that is widely used in healthcare training. IPE is structured and usually situation-based training that involves two or more groups of professionals. Desired learning outcomes for practitioners or trainees of both groups include learning how the other group works and how to optimise working with them, whilst also gaining perspectives of how others see their own group’s work. Learning is achieved through participation in real or simulated activities. We address three research questions in looking at the achievement of learning outcomes for both interpreting and medical students: perceived usefulness of role-play as a component of IPE sessions, perceived increase of knowledge bases and the perceived usefulness of pre- and post-interactional (de-)briefings. Four IPE sessions were conducted involving 153 interpreting and medical students from late 2017 to early 2019 in Australia. A data sample based on 118 survey responses shows high levels of agreement that role-plays are a useful activity in IPE. Further, students record a high level of increase in their knowledge of the other professional group as well as of their own. The value of pre-interactional briefings and post-interactional exchanges is confirmed by all groups of informants.

Interprofessional Healthcare Education on Aging Increases Students' Confidence in Medication Management Skills

Students studying for health care professions have limited opportunities to learn about medication use and aging in an interprofessional experience. Health Care students who interact in a simulation of age-related sensory changes can identify adaptations for safe medication use and counseling necessary to promote healthy aging. This research assessed the impact of a simulated team experience on pharmacy and physician assistant students’ confidence in understanding age related changes and in learning adaptations to promote safe medication use for older adults who may experience those changes. 63 pharmacy and 113 Physician Assistant students participated in 2-hour Interprofessional Education (IPE) sessions. The teams of pharmacy/physician assistant students utilized glasses to simulate changes in vision and gloves to simulate conditions of arthritis and neuropathy which increase in prevalence with age. Teams practiced skills of medication counseling and empathy towards their peers experiencing the simulations and learned medication administration adaptations for aging well. Pre survey results show a deficit of Pharmacist-Physician Assistant IPE with less than 20% of students reporting a strong understanding of the other profession’s role in developing an older adult’s care plan. Post survey results demonstrate an increase in students’ confidence in both understanding how sensory impairments may affect a patient’s ability to properly administer medication and confidence in counseling older adults on safe medication use. Descriptive data on learning in Interprofessional teams, Pre/Post comparison data and application to students studying other majors will be presented.

Tips for converting interprofessional education sessions from in-person to remote synchronous formats for experiential learning

Abstract Overcoming logistical hurdles is not new when planning interprofessional education (IPE) activities. When COVID-19 forced students out of traditional educational environments into learning remotely, additional challenges were thrust upon IPE. This article provides tips to help faculty who must rapidly transition what had been in-person, face-to-face IPE activities to remote, synchronous instructional modes that are interactive, engaging, meet objectives, and encourage subsequent application of knowledge learned. It is hoped that the practical tips presented here will serve as a guide for others to implement effective and engaging IPE sessions delivered remotely to learners.

Nursing and medical students' perceptions of an interprofessional simulation-based education: a qualitative descriptive study.

PurposeThe purposes of this study were to describe the development and implementation of an interprofessional simulation-based education (IPSE) for undergraduate nursing and medical students, their perceptions of the impact of IPSE, and identify their changes in attitudes toward each other’s health professions after participating in IPSE in South Korea.MethodsThis study used a qualitative descriptive design. A purposive sample of 43 third-year medical students and a convenient sample of 44 fourth-year nursing students participated in a 2-day IPSE program that consisted of ice-breaking and patient safety activities, and 4-hour three interprofessional team-based high-fidelity simulation education sessions. Data were collected through reflective journal after the IPSE program and keywords before and after the IPSE program, and were analyzed using the content analysis and word cloud analysis.ResultsThree themes emerged: “positive experience” with understanding roles and responsibilities and learning by doing in simulation environments being reported. In the second theme, “positive learning outcomes” participants reported enhancing collaboration and confidence in communication skills. The final theme “benefits to patients of interprofessional collaborative practice” included high quality of care and patient safety. Before the IPSE experience, most medical students perceived the nurse as nightingale and syringe, and nursing students perceived the doctor as order, expert, and knowledge. After their IPSE experience, both nursing and medical students viewed each other as colleagues.ConclusionThese results suggest that the use of high-fidelity team-based simulation in IPE is effective in practicing and developing undergraduate nursing and medical students’ interprofessional collaboration through hands-on experience.

Evolution of an obstetrics and gynecology interprofessional simulation-based education session for medical and nursing students.

Simulation and Objective Structured Clinical Examination assessment of learners can teach clinical skills proficiency in a safe environment without risk to patients. Interprofessional simulation-based education (IPSE) contributes to a transformation in students’ understanding of teamwork and professional roles. Long term outcomes for stimulation and IPSE sessions, are less well studied. We hypothesized that a progressive interprofessional education simulation program incorporating both faculty and interprofessional student collaboration would improve medical students’ knowledge retention, comfort with procedural skills, positive teamwork and respectful interaction between students.An Obstetrics and Gynecology IPSE for medical and nursing students (NS) was developed in collaboration between a school of medicine and a school of nursing from 2014 to 2017. By 2017, content included(1)fetal heart rate case-based workshop;(2)simulated vaginal delivery;(3)cervical examination and assessment;(4)contraception station including intrauterine device insertion practice;(5)obstetric procedures including hands-on B-Lynch Suture practice.From 2014 to 2016, medical students completed attitude, knowledge, and perception surveys both pre and immediately post simulation, at 4 months, and 8 months. In 2017; all students completed self-assessments and received faculty-assessments.The program trained 443 medical and 136 NS. Medical students’ knowledge, comfort, and interest increased significantly post simulation. Outcome scores decreased but were still significantly improved at 4 months but nearly dissipated by 8 months. There were no significant differences between medical and NS self-assessment or faculty-assessment scores regarding IUD insertion, cervical examination, or contraception quiz scores. Medical students’ birth simulation self-assessment versus faculty-assessment scores were 8.6 vs 8.9, P < .001.Simulation improved students’ short-term medical knowledge, comfort, and perception with some long-term persistence at 4–8 months. Medical and NS learned obstetrics and gynecology skills in a collaborative environment and in role-specific situations. Medical students had the opportunity to learn from NS. Positive teamwork and respectful interaction occurred between the students.

Understanding the consequence of COVID-19 on undergraduate medical education: Medical students’ perspective

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has significantly influenced the normal operations of all human affairs on a global scale. Indeed, the pandemic has had a considerable impact on the delivery of medical education in the UK for both pre-clinical and clinical year students. In response to the escalating case fatality rate due to the pandemic, there has been widespread termination of clinical placements, face-to-face teaching sessions, and examinations that require a physical presence by UK medical schools. It is hoped that the cancellation of the aforementioned activities will greatly reduce the exposure of medical students to the coronavirus however, the consequences of these actions may pose substantial issues for the learning experience and professional development of medical students. One such issue is the lack of regular communication between students and personal tutors which may give rise to burnout within students and impede academic performance. Furthermore, the suspension of clinical placements may result in a gradual reduction in students’ clinical skills competence. The practice of medicine is grounded upon the application of basic science which involves undertaking clinical procedures and as such, students may be at a disadvantage due to the missed opportunity to refine these essential skills. In this article, we provide an overview of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education, specifically regarding curriculum delivery and assessment of students. We also adopt a holistic approach by considering the impact of the pandemic on the mental wellbeing of medical students during this unprecedented time. We offer pragmatic suggestions to uphold the quality of medical education such as the implementation of virtual interprofessional education sessions to solve clinical vignettes and virtual consultation skills with simulated patients. We conclude with suggested areas for future research to examine the effectiveness of a virtual interprofessional education model on both short and long-term learning as well as encouraging medical students and academic staff to trial innovative methods of teaching. Despite the resultant complications of the pandemic on medical education, these challenging times may present a serendipitous opportunity for medical students to cultivate the personal attributes expected of a doctor in the face of adversity. In light of the pandemic, there is scope to reconsider the effectiveness of current medical education and welcome innovative methods of delivering education whilst ensuring quality. The combination of recent telecommunication developments with current teaching methodologies may positively change the future landscape of medical education.