Model For Interdisciplinary Collaboration Research Articles

The Interdisciplinary Generalist Curriculum Project at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

The Interdisciplinary Generalist Curriculum (IGC) Project was initiated at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UI-Chicago) College of Medicine to link an ongoing longitudinal primary care experience with a didactic curriculum emphasizing generalism. The result of this educational initiative was a more extensive reform of the preclinical curriculum than originally had been planned. The IGC Project catalyzed a critical analysis of the first- and second-year curriculum that continues and that has resulted in the integration of all of the early clinical course work under a single longitudinal curriculum. The IGC Project also established a model for interdisciplinary collaboration in course and curriculum design and expanded the walls of the university to include greater numbers of community-based generalist preceptors. This modestly funded and focused educational initiative had unanticipated and far-reaching implications for educational activities throughout the College of Medicine at UI-Chicago.

An interdisciplinary collaborative model for developing psycholegal questions in court ordered child custody evaluations

When a child custody evaluation is ordered from the bench, it is common practice for a judge to include a request for psychological evaluation of the parents and their minor children. Occasionally, a judge will provide a list of questions to be assessed. It is often left to the examiner to draw inferences from the court order and pleadings about the precise scope and purpose of the evaluation. This article proposes a model for the interdisciplinary collaboration of judges, attorneys and evaluators prior to the writing of the court order in the formulation of specific psycholegal questions that reflect the concerns of the court as well as those of the attorney and their clients and which may be anchored in the behavioral science literature. Such a model best suits the court by providing information on specific, legally relevant areas useful to the trier of fact.

Nursing research and solving problems of Alzheimer disease.

This article discusses the applied science of the nursing discipline and nursing issues related to Alzheimer disease. Three models are presented and illustrated with interdisciplinary research ideas to improve the care of persons who suffer from dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Phases of Nursing Research is a five-component model to (1) identify problems, (2) conduct the study, (3) disseminate results, (4) utilize findings that are to the central component, (5) practical knowledge. Promoting evidence-based care for making a recommendation against artificial feeding and providing the tools to promote natural feeding illustrates the Interdisciplinary Collaboration model. The Program of Research model is described by studies of late-stage DAT, intercurrent infections, and decision making. Issues framing nursing research are discussed and specific suggestions for research projects developed from recent funding priorities of the National Institutes of Health are given.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Special Care Unit-Part I

Collaborative interdisciplinary patient care is enhanced as healthcare professionals in special care units work to implement Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' standards for improving organizational performance. This second part of a two-part article provides a practical approach to developing a process action team to review the care of patients receiving mechanical ventilation. As a follow-up to the development of one special care unit committee, this was an important step in the transition from multidisciplinary, discipline-specific care to interdisciplinary, collaborative care.