Interprofessional Environment Research Articles

Integration of Disability Awareness Improves Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities (PWD) often require special accommodations and more comprehensive healthcare yet frequently have encounters with physicians who are unprepared to provide tailored and complete care. A multipronged disability awareness curriculum for second-year medical students was implemented, including content on disability etiquette, patient-centered and interprofessional learning sessions for individuals with physical disabilities and intellectual and developmental disabilities, and a debriefing session with physiatrists. The objective of this study was to utilize a mixed methods approach to evaluate the disability awareness curriculum in undergraduate medical education (UME). Assessment was conducted using course evaluations, pre- and post-surveys including the Attitudes and Perspectives Towards Persons with Disabilities (APPD) scale and Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS), and student focus groups. The mean scores from both the APPD (2.11 ± 0.43 pre-score vs. 1.7 ± 0.39 post-score) and MAS (2.45 ± 0.43 pre-score vs. 2.25 ± 0.55 post-score) indicate the curriculum improved medical students’ attitudes toward PWD (p < 0.05), with lower numbers representing more favorable attitudes. After completing the curriculum, medical students’ attitudes were comparable to those of doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students. Qualitative analysis from focus groups highlighted four major themes: education, comfort level, impact on future practice, and disability differences. This curriculum has potential as a valuable framework for delivering effective disability education to medical students to prepare future physicians to serve PWD and their unique needs. It meets core competencies, provides an opportunity to learn in interprofessional environments, and integrates PWD into the educational process.

Medical and pharmacy student outcomes from an interprofessional education transitions of care simulation

Interprofessional education is a requirement for both medical and pharmacy graduate program accreditation and it prepares students to work as high functioning healthcare teams. Since patients with chronic diseases often require care from various providers across multiple healthcare settings, efficient care coordination directly correlates with improved clinical outcomes and cost savings based on prudent use of resources. This curricular resource describes outcomes from an interprofessional transitions of care simulation completed by third year medical (MD) and pharmacy (PharmD) students at the University of South Florida in 2021 and 2022. We evaluate changes in students' perceptions about working with interprofessional teams and changes in their clinical knowledge following the simulation. This simulation presented students with one of two clinical vignettes (a pediatric asthma exacerbation or an acute chest syndrome sickle cell crisis), and students progressed through patient management in the emergency room, intensive care unit, medical floor, and discharge planning. This activity was conducted via Microsoft Teams in 2021 secondary to the coronavirus pandemic, and implementation continued to be on Microsoft Teams thereafter due to its success. Student outcomes were measured with matched pre- and post-simulation surveys including nine questions regarding perceptions and knowledge. In total, 300 medical students and 261 pharmacy students participated in the surveys. Students showed statistically significant improvement in each domain, including perceived understanding of roles and abilities to work in an interprofessional environment. Cohorts benefited to similar extents both years, and interprofessional and clinical knowledge improved for both medical and pharmacy students, although not equally. This experience provides an interactive, efficient, and effective method to fulfill accreditation requirements while improving students’ perceptions of healthcare teams and their ability to clinically manage a patient. The evaluation methods used in this study are available in Tables 1–3 The clinical vignettes, preparation materials, standardized patient scripts, and faculty evaluation form to guide feedback can be found in a Box Drive link provided in section eight.

Content Learning in an Interprofessional Environment for Health and Social Care Students: The Role of Learning Activities and Group Work Appraisals

Undergraduate interprofessional courses aim to enhance health and social care students’ knowledge and skills for working life. Employing a pre-posttest design, this mixed methods study explored the impact of a new interprofessional course on content learning with the aid of mind maps. Questionnaires were used to assess the course’s effect on learning activities (including strategies for cognitive processing and regulation) and appraisals of group work. The students represented six health and social care disciplines. The results indicate that students’ content learning at the concept level was significantly improved. While participants’ cognitive, critical processing was clearly enhanced and group work appraisals became more positive, more than one in four post-course mind maps overlooked an essential concept related to interprofessional work. The more sophisticated mind maps were linked to a stepwise cognitive processing strategy and a sense of the cognitive benefits of group learning. This relatively short course did not impact regulation strategies. The study discusses the implications of these findings for effective techniques to support interprofessional learning in higher education.

Using multiple qualitative methods to inform intervention development: Improving functional status measurement for older veterans in primary care settings.

Functional status, or the ability to perform activities of daily living, is central to older adults' health and quality of life. However, health systems have been slow to incorporate routine measurement of function into patient care. We used multiple qualitative methods to develop a patient-centered, interprofessional intervention to improve measurement of functional status for older veterans in primary care settings. We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients, clinicians, and operations staff (n = 123) from 7 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical Centers. Interviews focused on barriers and facilitators to measuring function. We used concepts from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Science and sociotechnical analysis to inform rapid qualitative analyses and a hybrid deductive/inductive approach to thematic analysis. We mapped qualitative findings to intervention components. Barriers to measurement included time pressures, cumbersome electronic tools, and the perception that measurement would not be used to improve patient care. Facilitators included a strong interprofessional environment and flexible workflows. Findings informed the development of five intervention components, including (1) an interprofessional educational session; (2) routine, standardized functional status measurement among older patients; (3) annual screening by nurses using a standardized instrument and follow-up assessment by primary care providers; (4) electronic tools and templates to facilitate increased identification and improved management of functional impairment; and (5) tailored reports on functional status for clinicians and operations leaders. These findings show how qualitative methods can be used to develop interventions that are more responsive to real-world contexts, increasing the chances of successful implementation. Using a conceptually-grounded approach to intervention development has the potential to improve patient and clinician experience with measuring function in primary care.

Effectiveness of multi-professional educational interventions to train Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) - a Systematic Review.

As the world population ages, health and social care professionals are increasingly confronted with patients with chronic long-term conditions and multimorbidity, requiring an extensive assessment and integrated care management strategy. The aim of this paper was to systematically collect and assess evidence of interprofessional education and training strategies for Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) to build a competent health workforce. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and the databases Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane and Embase were searched for studies illustrating effectiveness of educational interventions for teaching and training CGA in an interprofessional context. Based on 21 identified studies, a great variability and heterogeneity in duration, setting and design of the interventions was identified. Promising results were found in the domains analysed, ranging from knowledge and skills; practices and behaviour; patient health outcomes; attitudes and perceptions to collaboration and quality of care. Education and training of transversal skills within a continuous learning approach is key to equip the health care workforce for successful CGA performance in an interprofessional environment. Further research in this field is recommended to strengthen the evidence-base towards development of a resilient and integrated health care workforce for an ageing population.

Stronger together: learner reactions on a team-based, interprofessional first death simulation experience

ABSTRACT Patient death is a common experience that may be traumatic for health care providers. Although current rates of burnout are high, evidence supports that interprofessional coping can improve clinician mental health. While health care simulation affords learners freedom of safety to participate in a variety of educational experiences, current application of simulation during patient death is limited to professional duties, without explicitly addressing learner emotional well-being. We designed a patient death simulation scenario within a supportive and reflective interprofessional environment to teach foundational coping and well-being strategies to preclinical nursing, medical, and pharmacy students. Sixty-one students participated in this team-based, First Death simulation experience. Debriefings were analyzed using qualitative inductive content analysis methodology. Students reacted to being part of an interprofessional team after having participated in simulation about the death of a patient as described by five categories: emotional awareness, communication insight, feeling stronger together, with role curiosity, and through reflections on support. Findings suggested that simulation is an effective teaching modality for mentoring interprofessional students on humanistic well-being strategies. Furthermore, the experience fostered reactions transcending interprofessional competencies, which are transferrable to future clinical practice.

Implementation and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Health Systems Science Professional Development Program.

Few interprofessional development programs focused on learning knowledge and skills in health systems science (HSS) have been described. The authors implemented a professional development program (the HSS Academy) for interprofessional clinicians and trainees. The authors describe the HSS Academy, report preliminary outcomes, and describe strategies for use in other programs. The HSS Academy (an 8-month active learning classroom and project-based curriculum) was implemented at Penn State College of Medicine in 2015. To create an interprofessional environment, participants were selected from various professions and phases of training. The curriculum was anchored in HSS competencies (e.g., high-value care, quality improvement, social determinants of health, health system strategy and delivery) and included 2 distinct threads focused on systems thinking competencies and academic skill development. It featured course speakers and faculty from diverse roles and disciplines both inside and outside the health system, application of HSS competencies in local system contexts, and networking with interprofessional colleagues. From 2015 to 2021, 121 of 128 participants, including physicians, medical students, and nurses, completed the HSS Academy (95% completion rate). Over 90 individuals, including faculty and system leaders, contributed to the HSS Academy as educators. Comparisons of pre-post evaluations demonstrated statistically significant self-perceived improvements in HSS knowledge and skills, systems thinking, and HSS teaching knowledge and skills. Projects (n = 110) most commonly focused on health care delivery, quality improvement, or patient safety. Teaching strategies to meet each objective, several barriers encountered, and strategies to address those barriers are described. Next steps will be to address financial support for creating and sustaining the HSS Academy, ensure a mutually shared understanding of the HSS Academy's goals among all stakeholders, facilitate meaningful change from scholars' work, and provide networking and opportunities for scholars to continue work in HSS after completion of the HSS Academy.

“I loved it, absolutely loved it” a qualitative study exploring what student podiatrists learn volunteering as part of an interprofessional medical team at a marathon

BackgroundFinal year podiatry students volunteer annually as part of the wider interprofessional medical team at both the Brighton and London Marathon race events, supervised by qualified podiatrists, allied health professionals and physicians. Volunteering has been reported to be a positive experience for all participants and a way of developing a range of professional, transferable, and where appropriate, clinical skills. We sought to explore the lived experience of 25 students who volunteered at one of these events and aimed to: i) examine the experiential learning reported by students while volunteering in a dynamic and demanding clinical field environment; ii) determine whether there were elements of learning that could be translated to the traditional teaching environment in a pre-registration podiatry course.MethodsA qualitative design framework informed by the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis, was adopted to explore this topic. We used IPA principles to enable analysis of four focus groups over a two-year period to generate findings. Focus group conversations were led by an external researcher, recorded, independently transcribed verbatim and anonymised prior to analysis by two different researchers. To enhance credibility, data analysis was followed by independent verification of themes, in addition to respondent validation.ResultsIn total, five themes were identified: i) a new inter-professional working environment, ii) identification of unexpected psychosocial challenges, iii) the rigors of a non-clinical environment, iv) clinical skill development, and v) learning in an interprofessional team.SummaryThroughout the focus group conversations, a range of positive and negative experiences were reported by the students. This volunteering opportunity fills a gap in learning as perceived by students, particularly around developing clinical skills and interprofessional working. However, the sometimes-frantic nature of a Marathon race event can both facilitate and impede learning. To maximize learning opportunities, particularly in the interprofessional environment, preparing students for new or different clinical settings remains a considerable challenge.

Following a standardised pathway: Healthcare professionals' perspectives on person-centred care within ERAS for patients with colorectal cancer.

To describe healthcare professionals' perceptions of person-centred care for patients with colorectal cancer, within the standardised care concept of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. International guidelines for colorectal surgery describe standardised perioperative care. Combining standardised care with person-centred care could be accomplished using the person-centred nursing framework for establishing and maintaining relationships with patients. Despite strong evidence for the standardised care concepts' medical benefits, studies concerning the practice of person-centred care from a nursing point of view are sparse. A qualitative descriptive design was used. Four focus groups interviews were performed including 22 healthcare professionals with 1-29 years' experience of caring for patients with colorectal cancer. Data were analysed using qualitative conventional content analysis. The COREQ checklist for reporting qualitative research was used. Three themes emerged in the analysis; Framework in the healthcare system, Facing differences in participation and Interacting with the person beyond the illness. Conditions for person-centred care were related to the interactions between patients and healthcare professionals, the structure of care were also considered relevant. There is a discrepancy between what is considered important to do and what is done in clinical practice to create conditions for patient participation. Interacting with patients and creating an interprofessional environment are important conditions, the structure of care is also a fundamental key to promoting person-centred care. There is a need for further improvement in care of patients with colorectal cancer to achieve person-centredness within standardised care. The findings provide valuable insights into what healthcare professionals consider to be important for achieving person-centred care. This knowledge can be useful in clinical practice and education programs. At the outset of the study, three patients were interviewed aimed at improving the conditions for the healthcare professionals' focus groups.

Experiences and perceptions of nurses participating in an interprofessional, videoconference-based educational programme on concurrent mental health and substance use disorders: a qualitative study

BackgroundIndividuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (i.e., concurrent disorders) have complex healthcare needs, which can be challenging for nurses to manage. Providing optimal care for this subpopulation requires nurses to develop high-level competencies despite limited resources at their disposal and the isolated settings in which many of them work. The Extension for Healthcare Community Outcomes (ECHO®) is a promising collaborative learning and capacity building model that uses videoconference technology to support and train healthcare professionals in the management of complex and chronic health conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of nurses participating in a Canadian ECHO programme on concurrent disorders about the competencies they developed and used in their clinical practice, and which factors have influenced this process.MethodsThe study was qualitative, guided by an interpretive description approach. Individual semi-structured interviews were held with ten nurses who had participated in the programme between 2018 and 2020. A thematic analysis was conducted iteratively using an inductive approach to progressive data coding and organization.ResultsFour themes and eighteen sub-themes were identified. During their participation in ECHO, the nurses perceived as having further developed eight clinical nursing competencies. Nurses viewed ECHO as a unique opportunity to open themselves to their peers’ experiences and reflect on their own knowledge. Learning from experts in the field of concurrent disorders helped them to build their confidence in managing complex clinical situations. The nurses’ sense of belonging to a community further enhanced their engagement in the programme, and learning was facilitated through the programme’s interprofessional environment. Nevertheless, the lack of contextualized educative content linked to local realities, the limited resources in concurrent disorders, and time constraints were experienced as factors limiting competency development.ConclusionsECHO is a promising alternative to conventional, in-person continuing education programmes to improve the development of advanced competencies among nurses providing care to individuals with chronic and complex health conditions. These findings can inform clinicians, educators, researchers, and decision makers who are developing, implementing, evaluating, and escalating future educational interventions in the field of CDs.

How do people living with chronic conditions and their informal caregivers experience primary care? A phenomenological-hermeneutical study.

Gaining insight in how people living with chronic conditions experience primary healthcare within their informal network. The primary healthcare system is challenged by the increasing number of people living with chronic conditions. To strengthen chronic care management, literature and policy plans point to a person-centred approach of care (PCC). A first step to identify an appropriate strategy to implement PCC is to gain more insight into the care experiences of these people and their informal caregivers. A phenomenological-hermeneutical philosophy is used. The study is in line with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research Guidelines (COREQ). In-depth, semi-structured interviews with people living with chronic conditions and informal caregiver dyads (PCDs) (n=16; 32 individuals) were conducted. An open-ended interview guide was used to elaborate on the PCDs' experiences regarding primary care. A purposive, maximal variation sampling was applied to recruit the participants. Based on sixteen PCDs' reflections, ten themes were identified presenting their experiences with primary care and described quality care as listening and giving attention to what people with chronic conditions want, to what they strive for, and above all to promote their autonomy in a context wherein they are supported by a team of formal caregivers, family and friends. To meet the PCDs' needs, self-management should be addressed in an interprofessional environment in which the PCD is an important partner. The findings may facilitate a shift to encourage PCDs in their strengths by enabling them to share their personal goals and by working towards meaningful activities in team collaboration. Three strategies-self-management support, goal-oriented care, and interprofessional collaboration-have been suggested to improve the PCDs' primary care experiences. These strategies could guide nursing practice in using more and improve high-quality nursing care.

Dementia-related continuing education for rural interprofessional primary health care in Saskatchewan, Canada: perceptions and needs of webinar participants.

Dementia-related continuing education opportunities are important for rural primary health care (PHC) professionals given scarce specialized resources. This report explores the initial perceptions and continuing education needs of rural interprofessional memory clinic team members and other PHC professionals related to a short series of dementia-related education webinars. Three webinars on separate topics were delivered over an 8-month period in 2020 in Saskatchewan, Canada. The research design involved analysis of webinar comments and post-webinar survey data. Sixty-eight individuals participated in at least one webinar, and 46 surveys were completed. Rural memory clinic team members accounted for a minority of webinar participants and a majority of survey respondents. Initial perceptions were positive, with webinar topics and interactivity identified as the most effective aspects. Continuing education needs were mainly aligned with professional roles; however, some overlap of interests occurred. Future webinars will further explore learning needs within an interprofessional environment.

Challenges facing pharmaceutical care provision in Nigerian tertiary hospitals: A short review

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pharmaceutical care is the core of pharmacy practice. The reform and development of this practice are essential for the optimization of patient care and improvement of population safety. While pharmaceutical care has been established to have a long history in Nigeria, the implementation of the practice in Nigeria's tertiary health system is very limited and, in some regions, non-existent. Challenges such as knowledge deficits of pharmacists and the inadequacy of practice guidelines, a lack of knowledge, support, and an enabling environment to foster inclusiveness, limited access to patient records, the absence of documentation of interventions and the paucity of policy support and implementation, among others, stall pharmaceutical care provision in Nigeria's tertiary institutions. Here, we recommend that improving the interprofessional environment through collaboration, adequate regulations and policy development, the design of insurance and health support, pharmacy education, training and research optimization will bolster the pharmaceutical care practice in Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Moving the practice of pharmaceutical care in Nigerian tertiary hospitals requires transformational change and strategic collaboration among the pharmacists and health community.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;

Embracing or relinquishing sources of power in interprofessional communication: implications for patient-centered speaking up

ABSTRACT Health professionals working in an interprofessional work environment are entrusted to speak up on behalf of patients. However, that environment is comprised of dynamic intra- and interprofessional hierarchies, characterized by power differentials that affect speaking up behaviors. Drawing on the social bases of power and on power/interaction theory, we analyzed focus group and interview transcripts of 62 health professionals’ accounts of speaking up. We focused on their primary sources of power, and described factors associated with health professionals’ embracing power to speak up for patient safety, as well as those associated with relinquishing power and remaining silent. Nurses primarily employed direct patient information as a source of power to advocate for patients. Senior nurses and attending physicians exercised their legitimate power through titles or expertise, and when embracing that power, often influenced the healthcare team’s speaking up behaviors and the team environment. Physician trainees perceived to have limited sources of power. Participants reported using hospital policies, relationships, and humor for engaging in speaking up behavior. Relinquishing power and remaining silent were associated with fear, anxiety, and lack of confidence. Given the complex, hierarchical environment in healthcare, leaders’ inclusive behaviors for setting a culture for speaking up, including modeling speaking up, are critical.

An interprofessional activity involving pharmacy and physician assistant students aimed at reinforcing the patient care process

BackgroundPharmacy students should have the opportunity to practice applying the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) in an interprofessional environment. The purpose of this study was to compare the change in students' confidence in their ability to complete the five steps of the PPCP before and after participation in an interprofessional activity involving physician assistant (PA) students. Interprofessional education activitySecond-year pharmacy students and second-year PA students completed an activity in teams of six (four pharmacy and two PA students per team) in which they applied the PPCP to a patient case to create a plan of care. Students completed a pre- and a post-survey regarding their confidence in completing the PPCP and their attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration, as well as a program evaluation after completion of the activity. DiscussionThere were 117 pharmacy and 58 PA students divided into 29 interprofessional teams. Of those, 99 (85%) pharmacy and 52 (90%) PA students completed both surveys. There was a statistically significant increase in confidence to perform the PPCP for all students, with a large effect size. There were no changes in attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. Overall, the program evaluation reflected the activity was rated highly by students. ImplicationsThe interprofessional activity demonstrated a positive effect on students' self-reported confidence in their ability to complete steps of the PPCP. While the interprofessional activity did not affect student attitudes toward interprofessional collaborative practice, the activity was rated highly and most found it to be an important part of their professional development.

Learning how to work in an interprofessional environment: how students transition to allied health professionals working interprofessionally

ABSTRACT Allied health professionals (AHPs) often work with other health professions to provide specialized support so that patients receive optimal care. Therefore, new graduate AHPs need to be able to engage collaboratively with various health professionals in the provision of health care services. This study examines new AHP graduates’ experiences and reflections on the transition to working in an interprofessional environment. Participants were new graduates (n = 18) from different universities, working in a hospital context, from occupational therapy, speech pathology, social work, pharmacy, and physiotherapy. Qualitative data were collected via two semi-structured interviews conducted over 12 months. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, with three key themes emerging: (a) The role of the work context, 2) Learning to work interprofessionally, and 3) Developing an interprofessional identity. We discuss the implications for universities and workplaces in enhancing interprofessional practice and learning opportunities among new graduates.

Implementation and lessons learned from 2 online interprofessional faculty development programs for improving educational practice in the health professions in Chile and the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2021.

This study presents the design, implementation, and lessons learned from 2 fit-for-purpose online interprofessional faculty development programs for educational practice improvement in the health professions in Chile and the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2021. Both programs were designed to enhance teaching and learning practices in an interprofessional environment based on 4 pillars: professional diversity, egalitarianism, blended/online learning, and active learning strategies. A multidisciplinary mix of educators participated, showing similar results. The 3 main lessons learned were that the following factors facilitated an interprofessional environment: a professions-inclusive teaching style, a flexible learning climate, and interprofessional peer work. These lessons may be transferable to other programs seeking to enhance and support interprofessionality. Faculty development initiatives preparing educators for interprofessional practice should be an integral component of health professions education, as delivering these courses within professional silos is no longer justifiable. As the relevance of interprofessional education grows, an effective way of promoting interprofessonal education is to train the trainers in formal interprofessional settings.

Veterinary and Pharmacy Students' Expectations Before and Experiences After Participating in an Interdisciplinary Access to Care Veterinary Clinic, WisCARES.

This pilot survey study describes student expectations and experiences at WisCARES, a low-cost veterinary medical teaching clinic where students from multiple disciplines collaborate. We hypothesized that prior to the workday, students would describe different expectations of working in an interdisciplinary access to care clinic than what they ultimately experienced. We surveyed 62 students from the School of Veterinary Medicine (46) and pharmacy (16) who spent a clinic day at WisCARES. Before introductory rounds, students completed a short survey consisting of four open-ended questions about their learning expectations; at the end of the day, they reviewed their initial responses and added what they actually learned. Qualitative information was categorized and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Thirteen major themes emerged: diversity, confidence, communication, case lead/case management, financial experience, helping people, teamwork, technical skills, inter-professional experience, mentoring, non-specific positive regard, appreciation for resources, and rounds. Students reported improved confidence in managing and leading cases with specific positive outcomes in communicating with clients, particularly regarding leading financial conversations. Developing greater insight into diversity was a common theme expressed in students' expectations but was less frequently noted as an end-of-day outcome. Veterinary students less frequently described the value of the inter-professional environment and collaboration, but this was a major theme noted among pharmacy students. Student feedback was positive overall. The current study is useful in identifying areas for improving collaborative instruction and access to care professional student learning opportunities.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (IPE) USING TEAM-BASED LEARNING (TBL)

Background: The healthcare system consists of collaborations from multiple related professions to provide superior services for patients. The ability to cooperate in an interprofessional environment should be introduced at an early stage for healthcare students in the workplace amongst various disciplines. Interprofessional education (IPE), is an innovation where a group of students from several health professions conduct learning together, to create effective collaboration in order to improve the quality of health services. One of the active learning methods that can be used is Team-Based Learning (TBL). This study aims to elaborate students' perception of IPE learning using TBL as the active learning method.Method: The mixed – method is applied in this research. 162 students from four applied undergraduate study programs at the Tanjungkarang Health Polytechnic are sampled. 26 groups consisting of 6 - 7 students from various study programs are divided from the sample. Data was collected using sli.do at the end of TBL session.Results: Student perceptions included: entertaining learning processes, higher knowledge absorptions, improved interprofessional teamwork and communication and better critical thinking skills. Refining teacher competency, increasing profession diversity in the discussions, increasing session duration and higher topic complexity are important factors to ameliorate further IPE learning using TBL. 81% of students had a positive (excellent and good) response in regards to IPE learning using the TBL.Conclusion: Students possess a positive perception and increased benefits for IPE learning using TBL. TBL may be one of the prospective methods to convey IPE concepts.

Interprofessional Healthcare Student Perceptions of Clinical vs. Simulation Learning Through Participation in Underserved Health Clinics.

PurposeThe purpose of this research project is to determine how well three health profession student discipline’s learning needs are met through a real clinical interprofessional environment compared to previous simulation experience by assessing student perceptions following participation in a student-run underserved healthcare setting.MethodsVarious student-run health clinics were initiated throughout Southwest Ohio in underserved settings precepted by healthcare profession faculty. Physician assistant, pharmacy, and medical student learning needs and interprofessional perceptions were assessed following clinic participation utilizing the Clinical Learning Environment Comparison Survey (CLECS) and qualitative comment to allow objectification of students’ perceptions to different clinical learning environments and the interprofessional setting.ResultsThe survey had responses from medical, pharmacy, and physician assistant students (n = 60). Overall, students preferred traditional learning environments compared to previous simulated clinical experiences (p < .01). Significance for communication, holism, and the teaching-learning dyad was demonstrated comparing the traditional clinical experience to the simulated experience (p < .05). Pharmacy students felt their critical thinking skills were more significantly improved after the simulated environment (p < .05). Males more significantly favored teaching-learning dyad simulation vs. the traditional environment (F = 5.86, p < .05). Qualitative comments regarding the interprofessional experience included themes of teamwork, patient communication, and clinical skills.ConclusionWhen comparing a traditional clinical experience in an interprofessional student-run clinic vs. previous simulated learning clinical environment, physician assistant, pharmacy, and medical students qualitatively and quantitatively perceive their learning needs are greater met in the volunteer student-run clinic for communication, holism, and the teaching-learning dyad. There were variations in preferences based on sex and discipline of the student.