Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies Research Articles

New IPEC Competencies, the State of the Science, and a Focus on Equity

From the value of team-based patient care to the focus on the learner, the 2023 Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies include a more succinct approach to collaborative care. We review the changes and note their potential impacts on collaborative practice.

Preparing students to address the social determinants of health in integrated care settings.

Health professionals are increasingly being called to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and, to do so effectively, often requires an integrated approach to care. As a result, accreditation standards across multiple professions have emphasised the importance of interprofessional education (IPE). This paper describes large-scale, community-engaged learning that is required annually of students from nursing, pharmacy, public health, and social work. Through a series of asynchronous and synchronous activities that are informed by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies, students are trained to be SDOH change makers who can readily adopt integrated care service delivery frameworks into their future practice. Approximately 1000 students have participated in this event since the University launched its IPE curriculum in 2017. Student consistently report achievement of the course learning objectives, with 91% of students reporting that the learning activities enhanced their understanding of their professional roles/responsibilities in regards to addressing poverty and food insecurity. Two key lessons learned from these efforts are described, including the benefits of a trauma-informed pedagogical approach and special considerations for large-scale learning.

Designing a Conceptual Framework to Align Learning Objectives to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies: A Narrative Review

Introduction: Early placement of interprofessional education (IPE) in academic curricula may foster foundational learning to shape student attitudes, knowledge, and skills and better prepare practice-ready clinicians for future team-based collaboration. The purpose of this narrative review was to investigate and analyze the current use of IPE in OT and PT higher education. Methods: Three databases, Academic Search Complete, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and ERIC, were searched from 2017 to 2022. Inclusion criteria were articles with full text availability, published within the 5 year search time range from the time of the narrative review process, peer reviewed studies, original research, meta-analysis studies, case studies, and review articles. Duplicates were removed, and studies were excluded if related to only clinical or practice-based healthcare delivery, community health service-learning, virtual or telehealth platforms, not applicable to the disciplines of OT and PT, or not available in English. Results: After filtering and screening articles yielded from the literature review, a total of studies (n = 76) provided considerable evidence for contributing to best-practice guidelines in aligning IPE learning with student outcomes and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies. Substantial evidence was found, which resulted in the creation of a conceptual framework to advance IPE health science education and to meet discipline-specific IPE accreditation standards for OT and PT education. The resultant proposed IPE Conceptual Framework provides alignment of course learning objectives, accreditation standards, institutional and programmatic learning outcomes, and IPEC Core Competencies to create authentic IPE learning activities. Conclusions: This study provides a current review for IPE in OT and PT education in the United States and can have application abroad. The findings guided development of a conceptual framework for alignment of IPEC Core Competencies, curricular outcomes, and accreditation standards. Follow-up studies are recommended to validate the utilization of the proposed framework, and then subsequent research inquiry to further assess IPE effectiveness.

The effect of interprofessional simulations on pharmacy and physician assistant students' learning of advanced cardiac life support concepts

BackgroundThe Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) defined core competencies for IPE in 2011, and use of simulation in interprofessional education (IPE) continues to be developed in prelicensure health education programs. Interprofessional education activityIn this prospective, observational study, interprofessional student teams addressed reversible causes of cardiac arrest in weekly simulations during an Emergency Medicine course. Each simulation was followed by sequential team debriefs, first regarding the IPEC core competencies of interprofessional communication, teamwork, and roles and responsibilities, and second regarding the patient-related content of the case. DiscussionTwenty-eight pharmacy students and 60 physician assistant students completed the course. A didactic knowledge exam was administered before, immediately after, and 150 days after the course. Both disciplines' exam scores significantly increased from baseline to the end of the course and from baseline to the 150-day follow-up. Students also completed the validated Interprofessional Perceptions Survey before and after the course. Both disciplines demonstrated significant increases in Team Value, Efficiency and Interprofessional Accommodation components. ImplicationsParticipation in this simulation-based course resulted in 150-day retention of advanced cardiovascular life support knowledge and improved interprofessional perceptions in both pharmacy and physician assistant students.

Celebrating the Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration in Athletic Training

Celebrating the Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration in Athletic Training

Healing trauma with interprofessional collaboration and trauma-informed perinatal care: A qualitative case study.

The interprofessional education collaborative (IPEC) core competencies (CCs) describe standards for effective interprofessional health care practice and education; these standards are updated periodically based on stakeholder feedback. The purpose of this project was to use a qualitative case study approach to describe one multiparous birth trauma survivor's fifth birth experience with an interprofessional birth care team (IBCT) and to juxtapose her experiences and perspectives with the IPEC core competencies (IPEC CCs). This approach enabled us to identify strengths and gaps in the standards for interprofessional health care education and practice specific to perinatal care. One in-depth, open-ended, semi-structured interview was conducted to elicit the participant's fifth birth experience. Information from her previous births and the IPEC CCs was used to design the interview guide, and we used independent, deductive, consensus coding to identify themes from verbatim transcripts. Three themes were identified: (a) Establishing a therapeutic patient-provider relationship; (b) Prioritizing communication, respect, and knowledge in person-centered care; and (c) Shared decision-making as the crux of collaborative care. The participant's narrative elevated person-centered, trauma-informed care (TIC) principles as critical to effective interprofessional birth care and as essential threads for the IPEC CCs. One survivor's positive experience after prior birth trauma illustrates the critical role IPEC CCs may play in collaborative perinatal care provided by IBCTs. In our analysis, we also identify the need to explicitly incorporate TIC principles and person-centered language in health care competencies that support the standards for perinatal health care education and practice.

Collaboration in interprofessional teams: A needs assessment of factors that impact new resident physicians

ABSTRACT Many resident physicians struggle with effective interprofessional collaboration (IPC), but characterization of their challenges is not well known. This study examines gaps in IPC skills for graduating medical students entering residency. A needs assessment was completed to evaluate factors that impact resident physicians’ ability to effectively collaborate with other healthcare professionals. This study included online surveys of 123 recent medical school graduates, 21 semi-structured interviews of residency program directors, and 3 focus groups of healthcare professionals who interacted with residents. Survey results were analyzed for means and narratives from surveys, interviews, and focus groups were analyzed for themes. We found that graduates felt they did not have a strong understanding of other providers’ roles and did not feel well prepared to handle conflict with other providers or navigate interprofessional team dynamics. Themes emerging from narrative data generally aligned with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies including understanding team roles, communicating effectively, and working effectively in a team, but these interviews also elucidated an additional theme, overcoming system barriers. Data from this work can inform curricula in preparation for the transition to residency. The authors also offer an educational framework for learning effective IPC as a new team member.

ABC's of diabetes education: An interprofessional education model

This interprofessional education (IPE) project with 29 PA, nutrition, and pharmacy students focused on the use of the Alphabet Strategy, a mnemonic containing components of diabetes management, as a tool to properly educate patients with diabetes. We utilized a three-session layout of this interprofessional project. Each session contained information about public health and how public health influences direct patient care; public health content focused on diabetes epidemiology, healthcare literacy, and selecting an appropriate checklist to optimize patient management. This IPE event taught and highlighted all four Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies: values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork. It also highlighted two entrustable professional activities, self-efficacy as a team-member and team approach to healthcare. Basic background information on the ABCDE model was provided, but students otherwise educated each other across the three activity sessions. We administered a pre-/post-test on diabetes disease information contained in the alphabet model, public health, and professional practice from the represented professions, which gauged the baseline knowledge and effectiveness of this activity. We administered the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire before the first activity and at the conclusion of the three-part series, which gauged attitudes and beliefs about IPE. Additionally, we gathered qualitative data from students on perceptions of the IPE event series and qualitative data from the standardized patients utilized in the third session simulation. There was a statistically significant improvement in overall post-test score (p = 0.0004), diabetes knowledge (p = 0.0001), and public health knowledge (p = 0.0017). The three-part IPE series resulted in improvement in diabetes knowledge, public health knowledge, and on 9 of 19 RIPLS questions regarding IPE readiness. While no statistically significant difference in profession specific knowledge questions was identified, there was a non-statistically significant improvement in these items. This project highlights a successful model for interprofessional education on a highly prevalent disease. It significantly improved student knowledge of diabetes and public health. We believe this three-part IPE series format could be used on other clinical topics as well.

Patient and family perceptions of interprofessional collaborative teamwork: An integrative review.

To understand the patient and family perceptions of teamwork by synthesising existing evidence using the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice as a guiding framework. Advances in healthcare have resulted in more people living longer with health conditions, and patients and families have become the primary caregivers. The role of the interprofessional collaborative team supports a paradigm shift to a care model with the patient and family at the centre of healthcare decisions. However, patient and family views of interprofessional collaborative team care have rarely been studied. The authors applied Whittmore and Knafl's methodology to conduct an integrative review of the literature. Databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed and PsycINFO along with reference searches. The studies included were those related to patient and family perceptions of teamwork published from 2000 to 2020. The IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice served as the guiding framework for analysis. A PRISMA flow chart documented the search, inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review. Seventeen articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings identified differing perspectives by patients of the impact of the interprofessional collaborative team in their care which suggests that interventions to increase knowledge about interprofessional collaborative team care from the patient and family perspective may be beneficial. There is limited research on understanding IPC teams from the patient and family viewpoint. This review reveals incongruencies in patient and provider perspectives of IPC teams and suggests the need for additional research about patient and family perspectives of teamwork. To fully implement the IPC team vision, perceptions of teamwork must be fully understood.

Interprofessional Education at a Distance: The Hybrid Interprofessional Education Model

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a critical component of health professions education but planning and implementation are challenged by logistical, physical, personnel, and recently global pandemic COVID-19 barriers. Purpose: This report describes the development and design of the proposed Hybrid Interprofessional Education (HIPE) model, a blended learning IPE model developed to mitigate barriers using a flexible framework and online collaborative technologies to deliver experiences based on Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies. Operational principles, model design, an example of model implementation, and outcomes are reported. Method: Fifty-four student physical therapists and physician assistants attending remote campuses of the same university participated and completed an exit survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated for Likert scale and semantic differential scale survey items and thematic analysis was conducted for open question responses. Results: Analysis revealed students felt improved understanding of interprofessional practice, the other profession’s role, teamwork, and communication. Responses supported online, asynchronous delivery and the web application used but not the synchronous activity portion. Three themes arose from comments: learning with and from, interactions, and activity design. Conclusion: The HIPE model was used to deliver IPE that supported perceptions of student learning in IPEC core competencies when physical proximity was not possible. Further iterative research and model refinement are needed. Future research should include investigation of student learning outcomes when using the HIPE model.

Attitudes and Behavior towards Interprofessional Collaboration among Healthcare Professionals in a Large Academic Medical Center.

The increasing rates of comorbidities among patients and the complexity of care have warranted interprofessional collaboration (IPC) as an important component of the healthcare structure. An initial step towards assessing the effectiveness of collaboration requires the exploration of the attitudes and experience of healthcare professionals towards IPC. This online survey aimed to examine the attitudes of healthcare professionals working in a large public academic medical center toward IPC in patient care and the healthcare team, and their behavior and experience regarding IPC. The rankings, according to the perceived importance among the respondents, of the four Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies (values/ethics, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, teams/teamwork) were assessed. There were strong but varying levels of consensus among healthcare professionals (N = 551) that IPC facilitates efficient patient care, improves patient problem-solving ability, and increases better clinical outcomes for patients. They acknowledged that IPC promotes mutual respect within the healthcare team and providers’ ability to make optimal patient care decisions. However, overall more than 35% of the respondents did not attend multidisciplinary education sessions (grand rounds, seminars, etc.), and about 23% did not participate in bedside patient care rounds. Interprofessional communication was ranked as the most important IPEC core competence. Although the attitude towards IPC among healthcare professionals is strongly positive, many healthcare professionals face challenges in participating in IPC. Institutional policies that facilitate interprofessional learning and interactions for this group of healthcare professionals should be formulated. Online distance learning and interactions, and simulation-enhanced interprofessional education, are options for addressing this barrier. Hospital administrators should facilitate conducive work environments that promote IPC, based on IPEC core competencies, and promote programs that address the challenges of IPC.

Howard University College of Medicine.

Howard University College of Medicine.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

Interprofessional education during the COVID-19 pandemic: finding the good in a bad situation

ABSTRACT COVID-19 restrictions necessitated wholescale conversion of curricula to online learning environments globally. We used a mixed-methods study design to evaluate the conversion of a large foundational interprofessional course, at our university, to an asynchronous online learning environment. A survey was used to gauge if students learned interprofessionally and about interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP). A COVID-19 discussion board was used to assess learner knowledge of their own and other health professions and value for IPCP. Survey results indicated students perceived the online session as effective as it would have been in person. The COVID-19 discussion board presented evidence that students met all Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies for IPCP, shared knowledge of their and other health professions, and expressed the value and essentiality of IPCP. Findings support social context as a main requisite for interprofessional education, and within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, students were able to heighten their connection to the global interprofessional community. Circumstances surrounding COVID-19 highlight the need for increasing IPCP education. One unforeseen positive that has emerged in spite of this global catastrophe is enhanced student awareness of IPCP and interprofessional comradery as evidenced through student discussions in this course.

Promoting Affirmative Transgender Health Care Practice Within Hospitals: An IPE Standardized Patient Simulation for Graduate Health Care Learners.

Transgender patients frequently experience discrimination within health care settings due to provider lack of knowledge and bias resulting in poor service delivery. Team-based interprofessional collaboration is becoming a best practice for health professionals to improve patient-centered care and address these health disparities. A team-based interprofessional education simulation activity was developed as a teaching activity at a university for graduate health care learners in medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, social work, and health care administration programs over 2 years (N = 494). The simulation focused on a transgender patient brought to the emergency department (ED) after a workplace assault. Students were placed in interprofessional teams and asked to critique the initial ED interaction with the patient and then complete a team huddle and discharge planning meeting with a standardized patient. Student preparedness to engage in the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies was assessed through a posttest measure. Student learners reacted overwhelmingly positively to the activities of the workshop. The averaging of 2 years of data yielded students responses of strongly agree and agree at 90% or higher for all IPEC core competencies, as well as for educational objectives of the workshop. Reducing the structural, interpersonal, and individual stigma experienced by transgender patients requires institutions to offer experiential learning opportunities for future health care providers. This interprofessional education simulation experience focusing on transgender patients calls attention to the negative impact of stigma while also promoting competency in interprofessional practice.

Analysis of an Interprofessional Experiential Learning Program Utilizing the Case of Henrietta Lacks

An experiential interprofessional learning opportunity for university students was developed to demonstrate core competencies (CC) based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative and to foster a deeper understanding of the interaction between literature, health care, and social justice. Faculty members in the Schools of Professional Development, Public Health, Medicine, and Social Welfare at Stony Brook University contributed to the program including use of the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2010). The book was a springboard to combine John Dewey’s educational ideas of constructivist learning with select CC. Invitations for participation were extended to faculty and students enrolled in graduate programs in Teaching, Public Health, Medicine, Social Work, and Physician Assistant Education as well as undergraduate health science majors. The ultimate learning event was a 4-hour evening program that facilitated teamwork and collaboration among the 250 participants. The event presented information and context in multiple ways: The book inspired an innovative presentation, followed by pointed questions, discussion, problem solving and reflection. Topics explored included communication across cultures and diverse populations, privacy and patient rights, professional roles and responsibilities, and advocacy for self and others. Following the event course, instructors collected post-event reflective essays submitted by the master of public health student participants, which were analyzed using qualitative methods. This article describes the experiential learning program and the evaluation of its impact on students, with the purpose of enhancing the potential for other institutions to replicate this novel educational structure and achieve Interprofessional Education Collaborative CC.

Interprofessional Education: Application of Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies to School Settings

PurposeChanges in both health care and education systems have placed a greater emphasis on collaboration among professionals engaged with both systems who serve populations of school-age children presenting with neurological conditions, developmental disability, or health needs. Interprofessional education (IPE) has been recognized as an essential component of preprofessional education of health care professionals. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies often used by preprofessional health care programs can be adapted for preprofessional preparation of individuals working in the education system.ConclusionThis IPE framework is described revealing similarities and differences between health care settings and education settings and then applied to the special education process for school-based professionals. Implications for incorporating IPE outcomes into preprofessional preparation programs for school personnel are discussed.

Collegiate athletic trainers’ perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of interprofessional collaborative practice

ABSTRACTInterprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is a recommended area of emphasis within healthcare. Little is known regarding athletic trainers’ perceptions of benefits and drawbacks to participation in IPCP. A cross-sectional survey design with open-ended questions was utilised to survey 513 athletic trainers from across the United States. Data were extracted and analysed following a general inductive qualitative approach to determine categories and subcategories. Triangulation occurred via multi-analyst coding and review of findings by an external auditor. Athletic trainers’ perceptions of IPCP align with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies. A team approach to care and improved patient care are perceived as benefits to IPCP. Learning and understanding the roles of other healthcare professionals as well as communication among team members are perceived as both benefits and drawbacks to IPCP. The ability to appreciate and implement the IPEC Core Competencies may help the athletic trainer participate in the growing IPCP culture. Identification and dissemination of strategies to increase IPCP participation among athletic trainers are needed.

Design and Implementation of the Interprofessional Education Passport Curriculum in a Multi-campus University with Distance Learners

The Interprofessional Education (IPE) Passport is an innovative curricular model that addresses the needs of learners across seven health professions to meet discipline-specific IPE accreditation requirements. In addition, the IPE Passport capitalized on existing grassroots IPE activities and developed a process for reviewing and approving IPE activities in alignment with IPE accreditation requirements. The approval process was structured to ensure alignment with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative’s Core Competencies. In 10 months, 50 Passport activities were reviewed and 47 were approved. All activities assess at least three Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies and 66% assess all four. In year 1, over 30 activities were successfully implemented, 11 of which included distance learners. The complexities of ensuring positive outcomes, confounded by the need to drive culture change, led to a model that meets the needs of many learners in a variety of settings. The intent of this manuscript is to describe the lessons and challenges learned in designing and implementing the IPE Passport in response to meet the diverse IPE needs.

Experiences of Pharmacy Trainees from an Interprofessional Immersion Training.

Interprofessional education is essential in that it helps healthcare disciplines better utilize each other and provide team-based collaboration that improves patient care. Many pharmacy training programs struggle to implement interprofessional education. This purpose of the study was to examine the effect of a 30-h interprofessional training that included pharmacy students to determine if the training helped these students build valuable knowledge and skills while working alongside other health care professions. The interprofessional training included graduate-level trainees from pharmacy, behavioral health, nursing, and family medicine programs where the trainees worked within teams to build interprofessional education competencies based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies. Sixteen pharmacy trainees participated in the training and completed pre- and post-test measures. Data were collected over a two-year period with participants completing the Team Skills Scale and the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale. Paired sample t-tests indicated that, after this training, pharmacy trainees showed significant increases in feeling better able to work in healthcare teams and valuing interprofessional practice.