Interprofessional Experience Research Articles

Leveraging the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Framework to Transform Health Professions Education

Interprofessional learning experiences prepare future health care professionals for enhanced team-based care of patients and improved population health outcomes. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative's (IPEC) core competencies have become the gold standard for planning, implementation, and assessment of IPE activities. However, the IPEC framework is inconsistently applied across institutions. The IPEC Board of Directors decided to formally address this issue through the development of an institutional assessment instrument. This instrument would leverage IPEC competencies to identify institutional characteristics tied to the successful implementation of programmatic IPE. IPEC partnered with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in this effort. A panel of nationally recognized experts in IPE was formed to contribute to the instrument development process. While demonstrating a need for such an instrument, this commentary also encourages institutional IPE leaders across the United States to volunteer as item pilot testers, a critical step in the instrument development process.

Student-Led Clinics in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Scoping Review with Stakeholder Consultation.

BackgroundStudent-led clinics have gained increasing attention as a mechanism for students across various health professions to gain authentic interprofessional clinical placement experience during their educational programme.PurposeThis scoping review is designed to identify and describe experiences relating to student-led clinics in Aotearoa New Zealand.MethodsThe review involved five key steps: 1) identifying the research question; 2) identifying relevant studies; 3) study selection; 4) charting the data; and 5) collating, summarising and reporting the results.DiscussionStudent-led health clinics present invaluable educational opportunities for authentic collaborative practice and capacity to improve population health and well-being, especially in marginalised and disadvantaged communities. Clinic establishment and operation require consideration of a complex set of factors.ConclusionCommunity consultation (including with Indigenous populations) should precede establishment of clinics. There is scope for more reporting and objective evaluation to ensure best practice is being determined, developed, and achieved.

An interprofessional education experience to promote the role of the pharmacist in precision medicine

BackgroundAn interprofessional (IP) experience was created that demonstrated the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists and physicians in clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics (PGx). The IP experience focused on PGx-themed patient cases and application of genotyping results to drug therapy management. Interprofessional education activityIn 2016 and 2017, third-year pharmacy students and first-year medical students were placed on interprofessional teams with two to three students each. The teams resolved PGx patient cases, medical students wrote prescriptions for altered drug therapy based on the PGx profiles of the patients, and pharmacy students assessed and provided feedback to medical students about the prescriptions. Student could also volunteer to be genotyped for CYP2C19*2, and the results were compared. DiscussionThe IP experience significantly enhanced PGx knowledge and increased the confidence of using PGx in patient cases for the majority of participants. The experience did not increase the recognition of each discipline's role in precision medicine in a statistically significant manner. Accurate prescription writing was challenging for the first-year medical students (44.3% prescriptions written correctly). The genotyping results did not deviate from a Hardy Weinberg equilibrium for this population. ImplicationsIP experiences focused on PGx present an ideal opportunity to educate and initiate collaborations between pharmacists and physicians and to promote utilization of PGx in precision medicine. The roles and responsibilities for each discipline can be easily recreated in an IP experience to provide robust training to the students.

'Hello, my name is …': an exploratory case study of inter-professional student experiences in practice.

The 'Hello my name is …' campaign emphasises the importance of compassionate care and focuses on health professionals introducing themselves to patients. Research has found that using names is key to providing individuals with a sense of belonging and can be vital in ensuring patient safety. To investigate the student experience of having 'Hello my name is …' printed on student uniforms and implement this campaign in practice. A case study was used to capture the experiences of 40 multiprofessional healthcare students in practice. Participants were asked to complete a reflective diary during their first week in practice and attend a focus group with 4-8 other students. A higher education institution in the north east of England with students from adult, child and learning disability nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and midwifery programmes, in a variety of clinical placements throughout the region. The implementation of the campaign and logo branding on the uniforms of students resulted in an increase in the number of times students were addressed by their name in practice. Participants reported that the study helped them to quickly develop a sense of belonging when on placement, and aided them in delivering compassionate care. Occasions when patient safety was improved were also reported. The use of names is a key feature in human relationships and the delivery of compassionate care, and the authors advocate use of the 'Hello my name is …' campaign for all health professionals.

Interprofessional Education - A Mandate for Today's Radiology Curriculum

Interprofessional education (IPE) brings educators and learners from two or more health professions together in a collaborative learning environment, specifically assuring that learners function as a team to provide patient-centered care, with each team member contributing a unique perspective. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the American Board of Radiology have endorsed interprofessional and team communication as essential core competencies. Radiology educators must understand, include, and optimize IPE in their pedagogy; as a specialty, radiology must innovate more interprofessional experiences for medical students, residents and other allied health professions.

The Future of Allied Health leadership in New Zealand-Aotearoa: A literature review

Background: The allied heath, scientific and technical (allied health) workforce is the second largest workforce in New Zealand, providing diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative services. Increasingly consumers present with complex conditions requiring multiprofessional integrated services and a legacy of profession-focused leadership development is being challenged. [1] Future health and disability systems require leaders prepared to lead complex services, less focussed on their professional background and more on understanding their interprofessional services. [2, 3] The Allied health workforce is well placed to lead these systems, providing interprofessional experience, a biopsychosocial lens and collaborative models of practice. Aim: To provide an understanding of the literature and research available that addresses the leadership of healthcare services by allied health clinicians. Methodology: An initial database review was completed using a systematic approach, across CINAHL complete; EBSCO Business; Medline; and EBSCO Health databases from March 2020 to September 2020. An expanded search used Google Scholar and NZ, UK and Australian based government websites to access institutional documents, such as policies, reviews and reports. Results: The review identified an emerging pool of research on allied health leadership in Australia and the UK but a paucity of literature on allied health leadership in New Zealand. Three themes were identified and explored within the article: health leadership frameworks, current state and barriers and enablers identified. Conclusions: Literature advocates for a broader scope of clinicians into strategic leadership roles. Despite evidence of strategic allied health roles in New Zealand there remains a dearth of literature on allied health leadership. To foster and sustain the development of allied health leaders in New Zealand it is important to understand the enablers that impact this process.

Wow, woo, win"- Healthcare students’ and facilitators’ experiences of interprofessional simulation in three-dimensional virtual world: A qualitative evaluation study

BackgroundIn an age disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic, three-dimensional virtual world (3DVW) offers an opportunity for healthcare students from different higher education institutions to participate in interprofessional education. Despite its growing evidence, there is a need to unravel the complex learning process in order to ensure high quality of interprofessional education delivery. AimThis study aimed to explore the experiences of healthcare students and facilitators on the use of 3DVW for interprofessional team-based virtual simulation. MethodsInterprofessional teams, each comprising six different healthcare students (Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, and Medical Social Work) and two clinicians who acted as facilitators, logged into the 3DVW from their own remote locations to participate in team-based care delivery that included an interprofessional bedside round and a family conference. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted on a purposive sample of 30 healthcare students and 12 facilitators using focus group discussions and individual interviews. ResultsFour themes emerged from their experiences: the “wow experience”, authentic experience on collaborative care, ease of learning, and preeminent role of the facilitator. The simulation provided the “wow” experiences through contextual, collaborative and experiential learning approaches. Despite technical challenges, the participants were wooed by the comforts of learning from home and the psychological safety in virtual environment. The facilitators played a critical role in optimizing learning engagement to win learners over. ConclusionOur study explicates how attention to the “wow, woo and win” trilateral factors can transform the interprofessional learning experiences offered by 3DVW simulation. Future developments in the use of this learning technology should include developing the clinicians' facilitation skills and the provision of technical support to make this 3DVW a success calls in winning students' learning engagement.

Activities to enhance introductory pharmacy practice experiences

IntroductionThe goal of this initiative was to provide a meaningful introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) to third-year students when opportunities for direct patient interaction are limited. MethodsA single, pretest/posttest quasi-experiment was used to evaluate the impact of a structured pharmacy-based education series (intervention 1) and an interprofessional simulation (intervention 2) during combined internal medicine (IM) and infectious diseases (ID) IPPEs. Intervention 1 consisted of five, three-part pharmacy-based educational sessions, while intervention 2 consisted of an interprofessional simulated rounding experience. Pre- and post-rotation examinations were given to evaluate the impact of the interventions on student knowledge. Confidence was measured in 11 or 12-question pre- and post-surveys using a four-point Likert scale: strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree. ResultsThirty-six students (30 in intervention 1 and six in intervention 2) were included. In intervention 1, there was a 19% improvement in IM knowledge (45% vs. 64%) and 10% improvement in ID knowledge (40% vs. 50%). In intervention 2, there was a significant improvement in both IM (30% vs. 40%) and ID (50% vs. 65%) and knowledge questions (10% and 15% improvements, respectively). In both interventions, most students reported increased confidence. ConclusionsKnowledge and confidence improved in both intervention groups, demonstrating that there are ways to enhance IPPEs without direct patient interaction.

A Collaborative Assessment of Barriers to Oral Health Care

Oral health disparities are pervasive. Interprofessional education and collaborative practice experiences may be a means to address this problem in oral healthcare settings. This project aimed to determine: (1) barriers involved in patients’ access to oral health care at an academic dental school clinic, (2) dental students’ perceived ability to address patients’ needs and/or care barriers, (3) the ability of current clinical operations’ to address access to care issues, and (4) the potential role of a licensed health care social worker integrated into the clinic. Investigators conducted three focus groups –one student group (n=5), one clinical staff group (n=7), and one clinical faculty group (n=5). Further, investigators administered two needs assessment surveys in the dental school – one with students, staff, and faculty (n=144) and the second with the school’s dental patients (n=150). Investigators employed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses to evaluate the survey data. Five principal barriers to oral health care for dental patients were identified from focus group and survey data, inclusive of patients, students, staff and faculty perspectives: (1) lack of financial means, (2) lack of/inadequate insurance, (3) limited/no transportation, (4) general health problems, and (5) language barriers. More female patients (38.7%) than male patients (8.1%) reported financial barriers to accessing oral care. Including licensed social workers in an academic dental clinic may help address patient barriers to care and support interprofessional collaborative practice.

Novel application of telemedicine and an alternate EHR environment for virtual clinical education: A new model for primary care education during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

BackgroundRestrictions to direct patient contact resulting from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic left some medical students near graduation in need of a required critical care medicine (CCM) sub-internship. A group of educators deployed a virtual curriculum utilizing telemedicine and electronic health record (EHR) technologies. MethodsNine students participated in a formal curriculum of high-value critical care medicine topics designed to meet the learning objectives of the in-person experience. Students obtained patient histories and directed physical examinations virtually via telemedicine. They followed assigned patients, submitted clinical documentation, and practiced electronic order entry using a non-production EHR copy. At conclusion these students completed the same evaluation used for “in-person” CCM rotations earlier in the year. ResultsStudents rated the virtual rotation comparably to the traditional rotation in most evaluated criteria. Lower rated areas included “perform minor procedures”, “patient counseling”, and “interprofessional experiences”. Students’ narrative responses specifically noted strengths of the “student focus” and the ability to practice in an EHR copy. DiscussionStudents and preceptors generally found that the virtual curriculum provided adequate educational opportunities. Certain areas were clearly lacking, as expected. Students felt the dedication of the faculty to the students’ educational needs was the most important factor contributing to the success of the program. The results suggest several ways telemedicine and EHR technologies might enhance clinical medical education in the future. ConclusionThis methodology was successful in providing elements of a CCM rotation experience. This technology could prove efficacious for primary care rotations where in-person training is not feasible due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Intercollegiate collaboration to promote interprofessional education (IPE)

BackgroundBarriers may prevent opportunities for interprofessional education IPE. A regional university and community college overcame barriers to collaborate in an IPE experience. This article describes an IPE experience and students’ perceptions following the experience. MethodsAssociate degree nursing and physical therapist assistant students participated in IPE involving a low-fidelity safety simulation and teaching/learning presentations. Descriptive statistics were used to measure students’ perceptions of the IPE experience. ResultsStudents felt the safety simulation was a valuable experience and increased their confidence to identify safety issues. The teaching/learning presentations improved student knowledge on topics presented, increased confidence in teaching skills and collaborating with other disciplines, and increased awareness of other discipline's role in healthcare. DiscussionThe students’ perceptions and attitudes toward the interprofessional education experience were positive. The positive experience of collaborating may improve collaboration skills in future interprofessional interactions. ConclusionCollaborating with other institutions in the community may be a viable option for IPE experiences.

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.

Blending interprofessional education and simulation learning: A mixed-methods study of an interprofessional learning experience with nursing and occupational therapy students

ABSTRACT In aiming to train health professional students to collaborate in patient care settings, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the perception of registered nurse (RN) students and occupational therapy (OT) students jointly participating in an interprofessional education (IPE) patient simulation learning experience. Eighty-five RN and OT students engaged in a 3-hour IPE patient simulation in an acute care hospital setting. Each student participant completed a pre- and post-test data collection, assessing interprofessional socialization using the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) Version 9A and provided qualitative feedback about their experience. Findings indicated a significant change in interprofessional socialization for RN and OT students after engaging in the IPE patient simulation learning experience. Furthermore, qualitative findings described the perceived benefits of IPE and collaboration, simulation as a learning tool, and areas for enhancing IPE patient simulation education for the future. Study findings have implications for using simulated IPE experiences with health professional students to foster interprofessional collaboration and socialization with the goal of delivering person-centered quality healthcare.

An Investigation on the Perceptions of Practicing Interdisciplinary Health Professionals on Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Simulation.

Rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) is a relatively new method for delivering simulation for a structured algorithm-based clinical content. We sought to understand how a group of practicing emergency medicine healthcare professionals would perceive RCDP as a learning method. This was a qualitative study of participants' reactions to RCDP simulation during an orientation process to a new freestanding emergency department using grounded theory. Focus groups were held after simulation sessions to investigate the participants reactions to RCDP as well as the experience of multiple professions participating. Two investigators independently coded the focus group transcripts to detect themes and developed a list of codes, which were then confirmed by consensus. Data were organized into themes with contributing codes. Thirty-one individuals participated in the focus groups including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, and patient care technicians. Four themes were detected: the procedural components of RCDP, the behavioral response to RCDP, learning through RCDP, and RCDP as interprofessional experience. The participants view of emotions and interruptions and pauses had discrepant interpretation. Participants received RCDP simulation positively. Initial negative reactions to the interruptions and pauses of RCDP dissipated as the simulation progressed. Ultimately, learners agreed that RCDP was extremely effective as compared with traditional simulation for medical resuscitation training because of the authenticity of the multidisciplinary aspect. This suggests that RCDP may be an effective tool for continuing education of practicing healthcare professionals.

Effectiveness of an escape room for undergraduate interprofessional learning: a mixed methods single group pre-post evaluation

BackgroundInterprofessional practice (IPP) has been shown to contribute to quality service provision and improved health outcomes. This knowledge has led to the integration of interprofessional education into course curricula for many health-care disciplines. Offering interprofessional education in rural areas to students undertaking work integrated learning placements is challenging particularly because of the diversity of students and placement dates combined with the student focus on the assessable placement curriculum.This research investigated and evaluated the utility of an escape room as an educational modality that facilitates learning whilst providing a supportive and motivating learning environment. Our project focused on the acquisition of interprofessional practice knowledge and experience by a health professional student cohort.MethodsThis study used the novel intervention of an escape room combined with an interactive teaching session to test student engagement and learning about interprofessional practice and teamwork. The research used a mixed methods single group pre-post design.ResultsFifty students (78% female) from seventeen universities and seven professions participated in teams of three to six members. Most participants (66%) had not previously completed an escape room. The results showed that the intervention provided effective and engaging learning and was intrinsically appealing to students despite its non-assessable nature. Individual student reflection on their participation showed developing insight into the critical importance of clear communication and intentional team member collaboration in the provision of effective interprofessional practice.ConclusionsThe escape room intervention added value to the placement curriculum and proved flexible for a heterogeneous student cohort.

LEAPFROG Rounds: Maximizing the Rounding Experience for the Interprofessional Team During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted resident education by limiting clinical exposure, available rotations, and didactic learning.1,2 Further, it resulted in a disruption of the conventional rounding system used on teaching services.3 The University of Chicago's Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) rotation has traditionally been among the most highly rated in the residency program. The rounding style focuses on optimizing communication and collaboration between nurses and physicians as exemplified by the institution's IGNITE (Improving GME-Nursing Interprofessional Team Experiences) program4.

Interprofessional education in the Dentistry curriculum: Analysis of a teaching-service-community integration experience.

Interprofessional education (IPE) offers relevant theoretical, conceptual and methodological approaches to the development of effective teamwork competencies. To analyse an interprofessional experience of teaching-service-community integration carried out at a public university in the South of Brazil. A case study with a qualitative approach was carried out. The study's participants were thirty-eight undergraduate dental students who attended the IPE activity between 2012 and 2019. Data collection was developed in two sequential steps that included the application of an online instrument and semi-structured interviews. The textual material was interpreted by content analysis, considering Kirkpatrick's evaluation levels (reaction, learning and behaviour). In the reaction level, students highlighted the contents provided by the National Curricular Guidelines regarding public health system and teamwork, as well as the pedagogical teaching proposal by tutoring groups, which stimulated students' autonomy. It was observed that the learning was geared towards the development of collaborative teamwork competencies and cultural competencies. In the behaviour level, students perceived positive changes in their attitudes and behaviours towards patients, focused on needs related to life conditions, realising that dentists may work within a team. The elective/optional nature of the experience allied with the absence of other IPE activities in the curricular grid showed to be challenging. IPE in undergraduate education presented positive results related to the reaction, learning and behaviour of dental students. We recommend the inclusion of interprofessional activities of teaching-service-community integration in Dentistry curricular structure to complement uniprofessional education.

Impact of Interprofessional Care Conferences Across Primary Care and Mental Health Organizations on Family Medicine Resident Learning.

Patients with severe mental illness often lack care coordination between primary care and mental health providers which can negatively impact patient outcomes. Team-based care is integral in the effective management of patients with multiple comorbidities, with the family physician central in coordinating holistic care. Family medicine residency programs must provide models of effective interprofessional collaboration and mental health treatment to prepare residents to navigate an evolving health care landscape. The objective of this study was to evaluate family medicine residents' learning about providing holistic care with an interprofessional team and medication safety monitoring from the interprofessional cross-organizational care conference experience. To bridge care and cultivate the necessary skills, a family medicine clinic and mental health clinic implemented monthly interprofessional care conferences to coordinate care for their shared patients during 2019. Residents who participated in the care conference each (n=11) completed a retrospective pre/postsurvey (11/11=100% response rate) to gather perceptions of what they learned from the interprofessional care conference experience. After participating in the care conference, all residents agreed they understood the elements that must be considered to provide holistic patient care, were confident conducting medication safety monitoring for their patients taking second-generation antipsychotics (eg, lipids, A1C, ECG), and agreed the care conference helped them develop a more comprehensive patient-centered care plan. Additionally, they all intend to work collaboratively across professions in the future. Interprofessional and cross-organizational care conferences create an authentic learning environment that enhances family medicine residents' understanding and confidence in providing collaborative and holistic care for patients with severe and persistent mental illness.

Trusting me, trusting you: Creating conditions for successful pre-registration interprofessional education in rural New Zealand workplace settings.

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the provision of interprofessional education for pre-registration health science students. Furthermore, there is emergent evidence supporting the provision of interprofessional opportunities in rural workplaces. The strategies used by tertiary education providers in establishing and sustaining these rural interprofessional initiatives currently remain unclear, including how to foster authentic engagement with indigenous rural communities. This short commentary seeks to provide some practical guidance on how to successfully implement and maintain rural interprofessional experiences for pre-registration students.

Child Development Day: A collaborative interprofessional experience

Interprofessional education is needed to guide students in becoming collaborative practitioners. We developed a hybrid learning experience, incorporating online modules with an in-person team-based learning experience to facilitate collaboration and understanding of roles among health professions students at a graduate institute. Child Development Day (CDD) involved the developmental assessment of children aged 6 months–36 months, incorporating several professions typically involved in the care of developing children. Before completing the 2-h interactive team experience, students across six health professions programs accessed an online pre-experience asynchronous learning module and completed a baseline knowledge assessment. During CDD, onsite interprofessional teams of students performed a developmental assessment of 1–2 children facilitated by interprofessional faculty. Learning activities and a graded team assignment addressed three Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies, including understanding roles and responsibilities, communication, and teamwork. After CDD, students completed a post-experience knowledge assessment and the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Scale (ICCAS). Learners demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge related to interprofessional practice, and all students passed the group assignment within 2 attempts. High levels of student satisfaction were measured in nearly all domains. Lower levels of satisfaction with the preparatory materials and perception of minimal improvements in communication and ethics highlighted parts of the program that could be enhanced.