Interprofessional Experience Research Articles

Inter-Professional Education and Collaborative Practice in Social Work: Associations between Youth Work Practitioners’ Experience in Inter-Professional Learning, Creative Self-Efficacy and Innovative Behaviour

Abstract A rising trend is being observed in enhancing Inter-Professional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) in health care settings. Empirical evidence on its effects, particularly in youth settings, remains limited. This study examined the moderating role of inter-professional learning in the relation between youth work practitioners’ self-efficacy in social work and their creative self-efficacy and innovative behaviour. A total of 227 youth work practitioners from sixteen district-based youth services in Hong Kong were invited to participate in a survey. The results of regression analyses indicate a positive association between practitioners’ sense of self-efficacy in social work and their creative self-efficacy and innovative behaviour. They also show a positive association between practitioners’ inter-professional learning experience and their creative self-efficacy and innovative behaviour. However, concerning the interaction effect between self-efficacy in social work and inter-professional learning, the results indicate that the positive relationship between self-efficacy in social work and creative self-efficacy and innovative behaviour was weaker for practitioners who had a higher level of inter-professional learning. The promotion of IPECP and the preparation of social workers to be collaboration-ready were deemed essential in fostering an effective multi-agency and multi-profession partnership, especially for seasoned practitioners who were more likely to possess a silo mentality.

Introspective Learning From Interprofessional Virtual Grand Rounds.

Interprofessional collaboration in health care settings improves patient safety and outcomes, yet collaboration among health professionals requires specific competencies and skills. Providing nursing students with interprofessional learning experiences with multiple health professions is possible yet challenging. Opportunities for effective online interprofessional learning are lacking. This article explores nursing students' reflections on how an interprofessional learning experience, Virtual Grand Rounds (VGRs), influenced their personal development and provided meaningful learning that they can use in their practices as professional nurses. Thematic analysis was done on the open-ended questions in students' final reflection assignment. Analysis of student reflections identified 5 learning themes including the value of teamwork and collaboration, the importance of communication skills, professional identity, plans to engage diverse health professions, and the desire for future learning. Student reflections indicate the VGR was an effective method for nursing students to experience collaboration with multiple health professions without disrupting curriculums.

The transfer of interprofessional learning to the clinical environment following a high-fidelity simulation experience in undergraduate nursing and medical students: A curricular resource

The incorporation of simulation into interprofessional education is an important tool to strengthen teamwork, communication skills, and student's understanding of their roles and responsibilities in an interprofessional team. This curricular resource describes a one-time, Basic Life Support interprofessional simulation experience developed for third year medical and senior nursing students that occurred throughout an academic year. Students were given a modified version of the revised Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey within one week following the experience. Thirty days after participation, students were sent another survey designed for reflection on their clinical experience following the interprofessional simulation. Learning objectives were met as improvements in the Communication and Roles and Responsibility domains were noted. Multiple themes emerged from the 30-day survey surrounding clinical experiences including awareness of the importance of communication and roles, the use of Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, and closed-loop communication. Overall, students improved their short-term perceptions of interprofessional skills and transferred learning experiences from the simulation lab to the clinical environment after a 30-day period following a single interprofessional simulation experience.

Sustaining large scale longitudinal interprofessional community-based health education experiences: Recommendations from three institutions

Interprofessional community-based health education (CBHE) provides teams of health professions’ students the opportunity to learn about the factors within the community that impact health. The interprofessional CBHE literature is void of information relating to the development, implementation and sustainability of these learning experiences. Three United States (U.S.) based institutions engaging students in interprofessional CBHE experiences use the current literature to share similarities that support the sustainability of their respective programs. Funding, a centralized organizational structure, defined program leaders, community member and faculty recruitment plans, and defined community member interaction are some of the common factors supporting the sustainability of large-scale interprofessional CBHE.

Teachers and occupational therapists as interprofessional teammates: Implementation of an adapted social-emotional learning curriculum

Research supports health and educational benefits of social emotional learning (SEL) for children, particularly in lower socio-economic school settings. However, limited data exist on adaptation and implementation of such curricula by collaborating educators and health professionals for children with developmental and learning needs. We conducted a qualitative study to understand interprofessional experiences between a Kindergarten classroom teacher and occupational therapy (OT) personnel who implemented an adapted literacy-focused SEL program in the classroom for children ages 5–6 years old at high-risk for behavioral, developmental, and learning needs. This article describes themes that emerged from analysis of semi-structured interviews and observations conducted with participants implementing the study within the Title I school. The themes are: limited role understanding, contextual factors impacted interprofessional collaboration, and the perceived positive impact of SEL on students. While educators and related-service professionals can effectively implement classroom-level interventions for children with and without identified disabilities, future interprofessional education opportunities should develop role understanding and enhance team communication during pre-service learning.

Interprofessional pain management for adults with substance use disorders through an academic-community partnership

The high prevalence of chronic pain and the relationship between pain self-management and dependence on substances necessitates exposing health care practitioners to opportunities that incorporate comprehensive interprofessional pain assessment, management, and intervention strategies as part of their clinical training. The Student Health Outreach for Wellness (SHOW), a multi-university interprofessional education and practice organization, aimed to provide these meaningful interprofessional experiences for the current and future healthcare workforce while concurrently addressing needs in the local community. This curricular resource describes how SHOW partnered with Crossroads Inc. To create a model of interprofessional academic-community partnership that provided community-based direct patient care and health promotion services, including non-pharmacological approaches to interprofessional pain management, to adults living with substance use disorders (SUDs) in residential treatment facilities. By year two of this grant funded project, this partnership model improved resident experiences of care and population health measures, expanded services at reduced cost, developed interprofessional skills for faculty and students through collaborative integrated team-based care, and resulted in post-graduation employment in SUDs and the development of an integrated state licensed clinic.

Come Roll with Me: An Interprofessional Experience to Promote Disability Awareness

Problem: One in four American adults have a disability, which makes people with disabilities the largest minority group in the United States (U.S.). Chronic diseases are prevalent within this population, which faces myriad barriers that limit access to healthcare and create significant health care disparities. Yet, disability awareness programs are limited in U.S. medical schools and graduates report a sense of unpreparedness to care for this population. Intervention: Come Roll with Me (CRWM) was implemented as an interprofessional, preclinical experience to provide medical and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students an opportunity to engage with wheelchair users and one another. Students rotated through four stations with a licensed physical therapist and wheelchair user facilitator. Stations included (1) manual wheelchair self-propulsion, (2) accessible parking, (3) transfers, and (4) open dialog on barriers to healthcare led by the wheelchair user. Context: This study sought to assess the impact of CRWM on students’ understanding of the barriers and health disparities faced by individuals with disabilities. Assessment was conducted using course evaluations, thematic analysis of student reflection essays and a focus group with the wheelchair user facilitators to determine if CRWM met pre-implementation program goals and objectives, including the Interprofessional Educational Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies. Impact: Student reflections from both disciplines indicated that learners were able to identify a variety of barriers faced by people with disabilities and prioritize methods to mitigate these factors. Approximately 91% of medical students agreed or strongly agreed that CRWM was effective in their learning on course evaluations. Wheelchair user facilitators noted three important outcomes of CRWM: educating, teaming, and impact on students. Lesson Learned: Come Roll with Me is a robust educational activity, as evidenced by the program meeting all goals and objectives as well as (IPEC) core competencies. It provides students a unique opportunity to learn about disability from another profession and wheelchair users. People with disabilities and DPT students are a unique and underutilized pool of educators in undergraduate medical education.

An Interprofessional Escape Room Experience to Improve Knowledge and Collaboration Among Health Professions Students

Objective. The purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of escape room pedagogical design by investigating the impact of escape room puzzle content on changes in students' immediate recall knowledge and demonstration of interprofessional skills during a subsequent simulation.Methods. Students from nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy programs were randomized to complete an escape room themed around acute management of sepsis (intervention group; n=133) or general acute care (control group; n=129) prior to participating in a simulated patient discharge case conference. Students completed a knowledge assessment before the escape room, immediately after the escape room, and immediately after the simulation. Additionally, students completed the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS-21) before and after the experience along with a post-program evaluation. Faculty rated student achievement of interprofessional learning objectives during the simulation using a standardized rubric.Results. Students in the intervention group had higher scores on the knowledge test administered immediately after the escape room. All participants' ISVS-21 scores increased from before to after the activity. Interprofessional learning objectives, as evaluated by faculty, were met by 248 (94.7%) students.Conclusion. Participating in an interprofessional escape room activity with specific puzzle content improved students' immediate recall knowledge. In both groups, self-assessed interprofessional socialization improved, and a high percentage of students achieved the interprofessional learning objectives in a subsequent simulation. Escape rooms can be an innovative pedagogical tool that can positively impact immediate recall knowledge and interprofessional collaborative skills of health professions students.

The synergistic effect of collaborative interprofessional research in health care

Background/objective: Interprofessional research collaboration is receiving increasing attention in the healthcare disciplines. The faculties creating interprofessional educational experiences for students are discovering that they have educational, clinical, and research experiences in common and are seeking opportunities to conduct collaborative research in mutual areas of interest. In this paper, issues of interprofessional research collaboration are discussed, as are barriers and strategies to minimize those barriers.Methods: The authors present research cases that reflect interprofessional collaboration. The examples that are discussed are (a) a research project entitled “UNITED in Faith, Health, and Strength: Pioneering Faith-centered, Community-based Advance Care Planning with African American Churches” conducted by faculty in nursing, public health, medicine and a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University; and (b) a research project entitled “Relation of Olfaction and Cognition Measures to Screening for MCI” conducted by faculty and students representing nursing, pharmacy, and occupational therapy at Shenandoah University.Results/conclusion: Collaborative research proved to be valuable in addressing healthcare practice issues of concern to faculty in multiple disciplines and provided opportunities for synergistic scholarship across disciplines.

Promoting Person-Centered Care for Health Baccalaureate Students: Piloting an Interprofessional Education Approach to Wound Management.

To describe and analyze the implementation of a wound management interprofessional education experience for nursing, podiatry, pharmacy, and exercise and nutrition science health baccalaureate students. The disciplines outside of nursing were invited to join the classes of a wound care elective unit in nursing. This study included the development and implementation of a wound care program and observation of all students enrolled in the health disciplines where wound management education was relevant. Results indicated an increase in students' recognition of their roles and the roles of others within an interprofessional healthcare team. Facilitators reported that students learned to share information and work collaboratively to plan care for people with wounds. The outcomes confirm that the structured wound management program of interprofessional education within a Faculty of Health course promoted student recognition of wound management and the essential shared approach to person-centered care.

Impact of an International Service Trip on Pharmacy and Medical Learners’ Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an interprofessional medical service trip to rural Honduras on pharmacy and medical learners' attitudes toward interprofessional learning.Methods. In this mixed-methods research, 19 participating students and residents from medicine and pharmacy completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) before and after the service trip in fall 2017 and spring 2018. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants following each trip to better understand which aspects of the experience shaped their interprofessional learning.Results. Following the service trip, a significant improvement was found for the Teamwork & Collaboration subscale and the Negative Professional Identity subscale of the RIPLS. Several themes emerged from interviews, including that face-to-face interaction promotes collaboration; limited resources encourage team-based problem-solving; time together outside of work strengthens interprofessional connections; participating in another profession's patient care activities fosters appreciation of individual roles; interprofessional care takes time; and participants felt a greater desire to pursue interprofessional practice in the future.Conclusion. Interprofessional learning during a medical service trip improved participants' attitudes toward collaboration. This study highlights which aspects of this experience contributed most to interprofessional learning, and our results may guide future efforts to design effective interprofessional education experiences.

Achievement of interprofessional competencies in live and virtual community clinics: A comparative study

BackgroundInterprofessional education is imperative for training future healthcare professionals. While barriers exist within and across institutions to implement and sustain effective interprofessional education experiences for students, virtual clinics utilizing electronic health records may provide comparable benefits to in-person clinics. ObjectiveTo determine whether differences in pre- and post-test self-assessments of interprofessional collaborative competencies are different between in-person and virtual clinics. DesignPretest-posttest design utilizing the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) before and immediately after participating in clinics, virtual or in-person. SettingA large, public university in the southeastern United States. ParticipantsSenior nursing students, third-year pharmacy students, senior nutrition/dietetics students, and undergraduate and graduate social work students. MethodsThis study was conducted evaluating five cohorts of students engaged in interprofessional education clinics. Two cohorts completed in-person community clinics in 2019. In March 2020, the interprofessional education program adopted virtual clinics (three cohorts) utilizing pre-selected electronic health record cases. Student responses from the 20-item ICCAS, which was completed before and immediately after clinics, were aggregated into interprofessional competency subscale scores (communication, collaboration, roles and responsibilities, collaborative patient/family-centered approach, conflict management/resolution, and team functioning) and a total ICCAS score. Two-way ANOVA assessed Pre-Post and Mode (in-person vs. virtual) on total ICCAS score. t-tests compared Pre-Post ICCAS scores for each Mode. ResultsEffects of Pre-Post (p < 0.001), but not Mode (p = 0.523), were observed on Total ICCAS scores. All ICCAS subscale scores were significantly higher in Post compared to Pre regardless of Mode. ConclusionsVirtual interprofessional education clinics confer similar benefits to interprofessional collaborative competencies in healthcare professions students compared to in-person community clinics. Thus, modality offers flexibility for interprofessional education and provided several benefits over the in-person clinic approach.

Using Large-Group Simulation Incorporating a Variety of Media Formats in Innovating Interprofessional Education.

Innovative teaching strategies incorporated into curricula can prepare students for interprofessional practice and have a positive impact on patient outcomes and team dynamics in health care. Our team of faculty from nursing, social work, and pharmacy developed and implemented an activity using simulation in the large classroom to improve students' perceptions of working in interprofessional teams. Effectiveness was assessed using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey with a pretest-posttest design. Our experience indicated that this teaching approach can be an effective strategy for maximizing resources and providing meaningful interprofessional student experiences.

An interprofessional discharge planning curriculum in the clinical learning environment

Evidence suggests that medical errors are most likely to occur during care transitions, i.e., handoffs from unit to unit or discharge home. Lapses in coordination and communication, poorly delineated professional roles and responsibilities, and lack of patient/family engagement are often associated with resulting patient harm. This manuscript describes a small sample interprofessional learning experience executed within the acute care setting, with the goal of positively affecting Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies, attitudes toward teamwork, and professional role development among nursing and medical students. Nursing and medical students engaged in a 4-week learning activity centered on discharge planning of patients on an inpatient medical-surgical unit. Our project demonstrated not only positive shifts in understanding and attitudes toward teamwork, but also the feasibility of implementing an interprofessional learning activity in the clinical environment.

P32 - An Interprofessional approach to clinical facilitation of midwifery and medical students in the Birth Suite

Quality clinical placement experiences are vital to prepare undergraduate students for their future professional role. Traditionally clinical placements are facilitated in professional silos, a model that when reviewed in the birth suite of a large regional hospital in Victoria, revealed a highly competitive culture of midwifery and medical students who often struggled to meet learning objectives. To address this, an Interprofessional Clinical Facilitator (IPCF) model was introduced that was underpinned by interprofessional education theory and collaborative practice. Facilitators actively supported students to immerse themselves in interprofessional learning experiences in the birth suite, whilst learning how, as a team, they could best support women in the labour and birth setting. The aim of this research was to evaluate the ICPF model in the birth suite. Between 2017 and 2021 midwifery and medical students on clinical placement in birth suite at a large regional Victorian hospital were invited to evaluate their placement by completing an anonymous online survey consisting of statements about placement experience with a 7-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. Ethics approval was obtained. Quantitative data was collected utilising routinely collected data from the Birthing Outcome System to identify student presence and clinical activity in the birthing environment. Results of the student’s evaluation of their placement experiences following implementation of the interprofessional clinical facilitation model will be presented with students describing a more supportive and collaborative learning environment. Data demonstrating learning requirements are being met and an increase in students accoucheuring births despite a decrease in vaginal birth numbers will also be presented. The success of the interprofessional facilitation placement model in Birth Suite has resulted in a significant improvement to the quality of the student learning environment. These outcomes support consideration of wider adoption of this model in other clinical teaching settings.

Fostering Interprofessionalism Through Experiential Learning: A Prosection Lab for Clinical Laboratory Science Students

Background: Interprofessional collaboration between clinical laboratory scientists and pathologists’ assistants is important when developing a strong supportive network for the medical field. These professions work closely together in the daily clinical setting; however, in the academic setting, the education delivered through these individual programs occurs separately without interdisciplinary contact. Building an interdisciplinary foundation or partnership between these two programs early in a student’s academic preparation will cement future professionalism in the workplace as well as provide a deeper understanding of each other’s disciplines and professional practice and, in this case, of the intricacies of anatomy through a prosection experience.Methods: The goal of the interprofessional experience was to improve the understanding of anatomy for the undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science student population (n=19) through a cadaver-based prosection experience led by the Pathologists’ Assistant faculty at Wayne State University. After the prosection, each student wrote a post-activity reflection, which was collected and analyzed. Results: The students’ written post-activity reflections revealed they were highly satisfied with the experience and believed that cadaver-based learning not only increased their knowledge of content matter, but also their understanding of a different health profession.Conclusion: The use of a cadaver-based teaching strategy that integrates anatomy to achieve relevant laboratory outcomes in both clinical laboratory science and pathology can provide an optimal learning experience to solidify the bond between these two laboratory professions.

Narrative Reviews: Flexible, Rigorous, and Practical.

Narrative Reviews: Flexible, Rigorous, and Practical.

Handling and standardization of EBUS needle aspiration in NSCLC patients: The value of the cell block, a monoinstitutional experience.

BackgroundLung cancer is the main cause of cancer‐related death worldwide, and 85% of all lung tumors are non‐small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). More than 60% of all lung tumors are diagnosed at an advanced stage, leading to poor prognosis. Given the growing demand for NSCLC profiling for selection of the most appropriate therapy, the acquisition of adequate tumor samples has become increasingly crucial, mostly in advanced NSCLC patients due to old age and/or comorbidities. Being a mini‐invasive sampling technique, endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) represents a valuable alternative to traditional transthoracic or surgical sampling in these patients, and perfoming cell block (CB) could be crucial to maximize the potential biological information. The aim of this study is to describe a monoinstitutional interprofessional experience in handling EBUS‐TBNA and CB in 464 patients.METHODSWe retrospectively collected all the consecutive CBs obtained from EBUS TBNA performed between 2014 and 2021 on the lung lesions or mediastinal lymph nodes. All the CBs were handled in a standardized method.RESULTSA total of 95.5% (448/464 samples) of adequacy for site and 92.6% (430/464) of adequacy for diagnosis were observed. Moreover, in the adenocarcinoma histotype, ALK, ROS1 and tumor proportion score (TPS) PD‐L1 assessment by IHC was possible in 96% (140/146) of cases, and molecular profile was obtained in 93.8% (137/146) of cases. In the squamous cell carcinoma histotype, TPS PD‐L1 assessment was possible in 81% (13/16) of cases. All four CB results obtained from carcinoma NOS were adequate for ALK, ROS1 and PD‐L1 assessment and molecular profiling. All 39 metastatic samples from extra‐pulmonary primary were adequate for immunohistochemical characterization and molecular profiling. Finally, reporting of the tumor sample adequacy to the clinicians took a median time of about 30 h (range: 24–80 h).ConclusionCareful cytological smear management together with the handling and standardization of CB obtained from EBUS‐TBNA could represent an effective method to increase the adequacy of the tumor specimen for both diagnosis and molecular profile.

Restructuring Interprofessional Education: A Student-Driven Strategic Plan.

To the Editor: Research has consistently shown that interprofessional education (IPE) improves patient-centered care and outcomes. 1–3 Specifically, newer research has identified that student leadership in IPE leads to improved participation among peers and enhances sustainability, thus leading to improved interprofessional education overall. 4 The IPE Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is a student-run committee that serves as a collaborative community for all the health professional schools and officially recognized IPE organizations at the University of Michigan. For the 2020–2021 academic year, the SAC cochairs determined there was a need to improve the IPE experience, increase student engagement, and improve communication. The SAC aimed to improve 3 priority areas: structure, education, and wellness. For structure, the committee hoped to add an additional cochair and divide the cochairs into different priority areas. The cochairs created an IPE representative program in which students who were passionate about IPE were selected from each health school to serve as members of SAC and act as liaisons between SAC, their school, and the other health professional schools. SAC successfully recruited 12 student representatives who have seen support for their IPE endeavors grow. They now have plans to expand courses, increase funding, and improve interprofessional opportunities for their fellow students. For education, students wanted to see more experiential-based learning, so a workgroup of faculty and SAC cochairs worked to create a new IPE experience—the Longitudinal Interprofessional Family-Based Experience (LIFE). LIFE connected interdisciplinary student teams with patients and families managing chronic illnesses. It launched this past semester with positive feedback from participants who hope to continue. For wellness, the SAC cochairs partnered with a representative from the University of Michigan Wellness Office and convened a Wellness Task Force that works directly with the Wellness Office representative to improve communication about different wellness offerings. Organizational change can be a difficult undertaking, but it is especially crucial to execute well when working within interprofessional teams. As a fairly new organization that serves as a role model for IPE excellence, SAC had the opportunity to revolutionize how interprofessional organizations function and achieve goals to improve the interprofessional experience for all students at the University of Michigan. The cochairs aim to share their implementation of structure-based initiatives in hopes that other medical training programs can follow. They want to educate fellow medical trainees on different ways they can have an impact on their institutions’ IPE programming.

Interprofessional Culinary Medicine Training Enhanced Nutrition Knowledge, Nutrition Counseling Confidence, and Interprofessional Experience.

Introduction: Culinary medicine training combining evidence-based nutrition instruction with experiential cooking application has improved nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the professional and personal lives of medical students. However, interprofessional culinary training remains largely unstudied among professional students who will be involved in collaborative patient care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an elective interprofessional culinary medicine course for students in the medical, pharmacy, social work, nursing, law, and dentistry schools at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Methods: The interprofessional culinary medicine course was offered in-person at the teaching kitchen of the Nova Institute for Health in 2020 and virtually in 2021 during the COVID pandemic. The training featured five workshops combining instruction in a variety of popular diets, cooking a meal inspired by the diet in focus, and group discussion. Paired t tests were utilized to evaluate changes in pre-/post-training nutrition and interprofessional experience outcomes. Linear regression models were constructed to compare outcomes between in-person and virtual delivery. Results: A total of 62 students participated in the culinary medicine training. Confidence in all nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as well as interprofessional experience outcomes, improved after the training (p < 0.05). Similar improvements were noted in most outcomes with in-person and virtual delivery in linear regression modeling. Discussion: Interprofessional culinary medicine training is feasible, and virtual delivery may help enhance replicability in other settings.