Interprofessional Field Research Articles

Science of Learning Strategy Series: Article 6, Elaboration

Abstract: The science of learning (learning science) is an interprofessional field that concerns itself with how the brain learns and remembers important information. Learning science has compiled a set of evidence-based strategies, such as distributed practice, retrieval practice, and interleaving, which are quite relevant to continuing professional development. Spreading out study and practice separated by cognitive breaks (distributed practice), testing oneself to check mastery and memory of previously learned information (retrieval practice), and mixing the learning of separate but associated information (interleaving) represent strategies that are underutilized in continuing professional development. Participants and planners alike can benefit from learning science recommendations to inform their decisions. Elaboration, the subject of this article, is another evidence-based strategy that relates to how one studies or practices priority information.

DNVF Memorandum: Objectives and Methods of Physical Activity-Related Health Services Research

The DNVF Memorandum: Objectives and Methods of Physical Activity-Related Health Services Research summarizes, for the first time, the highly interdisciplinary and interprofessional field of physical activity-based health care in the German healthcare system. In addition to providing a conceptual framework and definition of key measures and concepts in physical activity-related health care research, existing research gaps and needs are identified, and methods for advancing this relatively young field of research are described. A particular focus of this study is the relevant outcome parameters and their standardized assessment using established and valid measurement tools. The memorandum aims to establish a general understanding of the complex subject of promoting physical activity and sports therapy in the context of healthcare, to give an impulse to new research initiatives, and to integrate the currently available strong evidence on the effectiveness of physical activity and exercise into healthcare.

Science of Learning Strategy Series: Article 5, Incentivizing Sleep in Continuing Professional Development.

The science of learning (learning science) is an interprofessional field that concerns itself with how the brain learns and remembers important information. Learning science has compiled a set of evidence-based strategies, such as distributed practice, retrieval practice, and interleaving, which are quite relevant to continuing professional development (CPD). Spreading out study and practice separated by cognitive breaks (distributed practice), testing oneself to check mastery and memory of previously learned information (retrieval practice), and mixing the learning of distinct but related material (interleaving) represent strategies that are underutilized in CPD. Participants and planners alike can benefit from learning science recommendations to inform their decisions. Sleep, the subject of this article and critical to distributed practice, is the ideal circumstance for the brain to process priority information. The authors make the case for sleep as a legitimate part of a learning activity and worthy of consideration in the award of CPD credits.

Science of Learning Strategy Series: Article 4, Application to Educational Meetings.

The science of learning (learning science) is an interprofessional field that concerns itself with how the brain learns and remembers important information. Learning science has compiled a set of evidence-based strategies, such as distributed practice, retrieval practice, and interleaving, which are quite relevant to continuing professional development. Spreading out study and practice separated by cognitive breaks (distributed practice), testing oneself to check mastery and memory of previously learned information (retrieval practice), and mixing the learning of distinct but related material (interleaving) represent strategies that are underutilized in continuing professional development. Participants and planners alike can benefit from learning science recommendations to inform their decisions. The common intervention of the educational meeting provides an opportunity to illustrate the benefits of these three learning-science strategies in continuing professional development.

Interprofessional Field Experiences in Occupational Safety and Health.

Field trips are beneficial to students, because they provide experiences outside of the traditional classroom. Incorporating field trips into graduate programs can increase students' exposures to real world experiences so that they can incorporate that knowledge as they complete their program. The purpose of the project was to collect and analyze graduate student feedback on 13 in-person interprofessional field trips focused on occupational safety and health. Data were collected through post-field trip structured discussions. Content analysis was used to determine themes. Five themes emerged from the data: Personal Value, Networking and Meeting, Health and Safety Planning and Policy, Environment, and Logistics and Planning. Field trips are valuable learning experiences for graduate students. The field trips in this study offered concrete experiences in occupational safety and health. Post-field trip, students provided feedback through structured discussions, which allowed for reflective observation. Overall, students found personal value in the field trips, observed health and safety procedures and policies in action, learned about various work environments, and provided input on the logistics and planning of field trips.

Physician-Chef-Dietitian Partnerships for Evidence-Based Dietary Approaches to Tackling Chronic Disease: The Case for Culinary Medicine in Teaching Kitchens.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the American food environment has become increasingly ultra-processed. As a result, the prevalence of chronic, diet-related disease in the United States has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, physicians are still poorly trained in nutrition. A recent innovation that aims to address this is "culinary medicine" programming taught by teams of physicians, chefs, and registered dietitian nutritionists. Culinary medicine is an evidence-based, interprofessional field of medicine that combines culinary arts, nutrition science, and medical education to prevent and treat diet-related disease. It employs hands-on learning through healthy cooking and is typically taught in a teaching kitchen, either in-person or virtually. It can be dosed either as a patient care intervention or as experiential nutrition education for students, medical trainees, and healthcare professionals. Culinary medicine programs are effective, financially feasible, and well-received. As a result, healthcare systems and medical education programs are increasingly incorporating culinary medicine, teaching kitchens, and interprofessional nutrition education into their patient care and training models.

Telehealth use in primary healthcare collaborative interprofessional practice: protocol for a scoping review

IntroductionTelehealth is a growing topic, with potential to improve access to primary healthcare. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how telehealth could facilitate interprofessional collaboration that is recommended...

Celebrating the Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration in Athletic Training

Celebrating the Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration in Athletic Training

Curriculum Innovations: Implementing a Neuropalliative Care Curriculum for Neurology Residents

Background and Objectives Neuropalliative care is an emerging interprofessional field that aims to improve communication and quality of life for all people affected by serious neurologic disease. Teaching neuropalliative care skills is a key objective for neurology residencies, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires proficiency in palliative care. The objective of this study was to describe a novel longitudinal multimodal curriculum in neuropalliative care communication and evaluate its feasibility and outcomes. Methods and Curriculum Description We designed a multimodal curriculum focused on neuropalliative care communication skills using as our theoretical foundation transformative learning theory. We implemented this program for neurology residents at a single academic institution over the course of their 3-year training. Residents underwent (1) 3 communication workshops using VitalTalk modules and simulated patient encounters, (2) 3 or more observed clinical encounters with structured faculty feedback, and (3) at least 3 annual neuropalliative care lectures. We evaluated the effect on learners' self-assessed confidence in neuropalliative care skills with preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaires. Results and Assessment Data In 2021, 14 of 20 eligible residents attended our workshops and completed the preworkshop questionnaire, and 12 of those completed the postworkshop questionnaire. After the workshop, a larger proportion of residents (75%, 9/12) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt confident leading family meetings compared with before the workshop (57%, 8/14). While more than 90% of residents felt confident recognizing patient and family emotions both before and after the workshop, the workshop improved their confidence in responding to such emotions. Still, some residents neither agreed nor disagreed (42%, 5/12) about feeling confident in responding to emotions after the workshop, and many commented on wanting more training in this area. Discussion and Lessons Learned The successful implementation and high attendance among eligible participants demonstrate the feasibility of our longitudinal multimodal neuropalliative care curriculum. The evaluation of intervention outcomes suggests that residents' confidence in neuropalliative communication skills improved. Our study shows that VitalTalk is a tool that can be adapted to teach neuropalliative communication skills for neurology residents, and this program can be easily adopted by other neurology training programs.

Metacognition, Macrocognition and Moral Reasoning in Collaborative Team Decision-Making: Implications for Healthcare Education

Introduction: Interprofessional education improves clinical practice by facilitating student practitioners’ understanding of other provider’ roles, collaborative attitudes, and team behaviors. However, there is a paucity of research examining cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in collaborative decision-making in the interprofessional field. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of metacognition and macrocognition in communication and decision-making across individual and collaborative teams.Method: 392 first-year graduate healthcare students representing eight disciplines were required to read a vignette from the Defining Issues Test (DIT) of moral judgement and rate their moral decisions individually and as an interprofessional team. Mixed methods were utilized.Results: Paired samples t-tests showed significant differences between individual and group scores for all six questions. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified three latent factors of the DIT: Accountability, Law, and Empathy. Mediation analyses found the relationship between Accountability and Empathy factors was accounted for by the Law factor. A Thematic Analysis supported these findings.Discussion: Changes from perceived vulnerable accountability stem from metacognitive systems/psychological safety buffered by protection within the same system and grounded in medical law. This allows crucial communication and team cohesiveness in interprofessional teams, facilitating an ethical shared mental model that may benefit patient outcomes.

Writing for publication: increasing the likelihood of success

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to help writers at all levels improve their likelihood of success in having papers accepted by academic peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Interprofessional Care. We discuss the importance of reading both in your own discipline and also more widely across disciplines and fields of study. There are sections on the attributes of good authors, how to choose a journal, types of articles that are published and the structure of these, the contrast between research and evaluation, and how to plan a paper. We stress the importance of reading and complying with a journal’s author guidelines and answering the ‘so what’ question by the end of the article. There is more detail about the main elements of a paper and what should be included in the introduction, methods, results (findings) and discussion to improve the quality of the reporting. As well as content we also focus on the style of writing. We finish with a discussion of the submission and review processes, why papers may be rejected and how to manage decisions on papers. Dissemination of scholarly work is paramount to the advancement of the interprofessional field; we invite authors to consider our advice and in so doing help strengthen the quality and rigor of interprofessional scholarship.

Preparing Master of Social Work Students for Interprofessional Practice

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aims to measure growth in interprofessional knowledge, skills, and values in MSW students from three universities who participated in a Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program focused on serving children, adolescents, and transition-age youth. Methods Students participated in an interprofessional field placement and specialized educational sessions that addressed interprofessional team-based care, engaging at-risk youth and families, and working with vulnerable populations. The Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) was administered pre- and post-experience. Results Paired t-tests of the ISVS total score and each subscale showed statistically significant increases over time. Multiple regression models indicated only the pretest score was a significant predictor of the posttest score for the total or subscale of the ISVS. Conclusion Social work programs that create interprofessional education and training opportunities can achieve positive outcomes in student attitudes toward interprofessional practice.

Top tips for interprofessional education and collaborative practice research: a guide for students and early career researchers

ABSTRACT Interprofessional research within the contexts of education and health and social care practice has grown exponentially within the past three decades. To maintain the momentum of high-quality research, it is important that early career researchers embarking on their first research journey and new to interprofessional education or interprofessional collaborative practice feel supported in making their contribution to the field. This guide, developed by the Center for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) Research Group, has been written with these groups in mind who are embarking on their first research journey, and new to the interprofessional field. It aims to raise awareness of academic resources and share practical advice from those who have previously experienced problems when undertaking interprofessional research in education or health and social care practice.

Professional and interprofessional identities: a scoping review

ABSTRACTIdentity development within the interprofessional field is an emerging area of research. This scoping review aims to establish how professional and interprofessional identities are defined, conceptualized, theorized and measured within the interprofessional literature. Six databases were systematically searched for papers focusing on professional and/or interprofessional identities in interprofessional healthcare and education using a scoping review methodology. A total of 84 papers were included. Most papers discussed professional identity only; the minority discussed both identities. There were three key findings. First, no universal definition of interprofessional identity exists. Second, there is no shared understanding of interprofessional identity and its relationship with professional identity. Third, poor alignment between definitions, conceptualizations, theories and measures of interprofessional identity exists. The absence of a psychometrically robust instrument that specifically measures interprofessional identity and the short-term focus of current interprofessional identity research further limits understanding. Research that critically examines professional and interprofessional identity development should be underpinned by clear definitions, concepts, theories and measures of both identities. High-quality research will allow greater understanding of interprofessional identity development and its impact on interprofessional practice.

Social Work and Nursing Students’ Perceptions of the Social Determinants of Health Based on Practice and Educational Experiences

PURPOSE Although social workers and nurses work together in healthcare settings, there are tensions between their roles. Both professions embrace the concept of the social determinants of health (SDOH), but less is known about how the professions understand SDOH. METHODS Using semi-structured interviews with 25 masters’ level nursing and social work students, this qualitative descriptive study explored the educational and practice experiences relating to the SDOH. RESULTS Both nursing and social work students recognized that socioeconomic, patient/client educational, and access factors contribute to health and healthcare. Subtle differences in emphasis included a broader focus among social work students of the influence of SDOH on vulnerability/disparities and communities. While nursing students focused on vulnerability/disparities, they emphasized the effects of SDOH on specific health conditions. Both groups of students expressed that their exposure to people unlike themselves in their clinical/field educational experiences helped them learn about the SDOH. Nursing students stressed that interprofessional teamwork was vital to addressing SDOH, whereas social work students emphasized cultural awareness and avoiding stereotypes were necessary elements. All students wanted more information about health policies. CONCLUSION The shared understanding of both nursing and social work graduate students have on the effect that SDOH have on health and healthcare can provide a common language. Employing SDOH as a framework for interprofessional education could encourage shared understanding among professions and a purpose for interprofessional educational field opportunities, that would both support learning about the SDOH and collaborative practice with underserved communities.

Leveraging technology in field education for digital natives: Using goal attainment scaling

ABSTRACTIn 21st century social work education, faculty must build on student experiences to construct new learning opportunities. However, traditional academic approaches often struggle with this. One barrier is the lack of tools to facilitate assessment of learning and responsiveness to performance with proximal feedback. Education during field placement can be an added challenge as students are learning to apply knowledge, grappling with real life challenges, while geographically dispersed. Individualized goal setting and measurement is needed to engage today’s learners and teachers in the process of knowledge, skill, and value development.This program incorporated technology to improve a collaborative outcome measure, Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). This tool was then trialed in various interprofessional field settings to determine the utility and response. In an interprofessional training program for social work andoccupational therapy students, and peer supports, each student created and scaled both professional and personal development goals. GAS enabled measurement of incremental change over time in students’ personal and professional development goals they had created for themselves. GAS professional goals (mean diff. = 2.41(1.09), t = 11.97(28)) and personal goals (mean diff. = 2.76 (1.09), t = 13.62(28)) both improved significantly (p < .01). Student feedback supported the value of GAS to improve self-awareness and learning.

Training early childhood professionals using an interprofessional practice field experience

Abstract The preparation of early childhood professionals to work with children with disabilities and their families traditionally has taken place in the classroom setting. However, changes in legal requirements (i.e. Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act) and student demographics have required personnel preparation programs to redesign the field experiences that students partake in to connect content, pedagogy, and disposition. Given the complexity of working with children with disabilities and their families, preparing early childhood professionals to work with these children and families within an interdisciplinary context is needed. Partnering with a medical clinic that specifically serves children with disabilities and their families is one way to provide a valuable field experience for preservice early childhood professionals. This article presents the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Service (CMS) clinic experience in which preservice early childhood educators participated. Findings indicate that preservice teachers participating in this field experience gain a broader understanding of partnering with families and professionals across disciplines, and a deeper understanding of disability from a family's perspective. Thus, the article demonstrates the need for preservice professionals to receive training in nontraditional field experiences to better serve children with disabilities and their families.

Blended learning versus traditional teaching-learning-setting: Evaluation of cognitive and affective learning outcomes for the inter-professional field of occupational medicine and prevention / Blended Learning versus traditionelles Lehr-Lernsetting: Evaluierung von kognitiven und affektiven Lernergebnissen für das interprofessionelle Arbeitsfeld Arbeitsmedizin und Prävention

Abstract Blended learning is characterised as a combination of face-to-face teaching and e-learning in terms of knowledge transfer, students’ learning activities and reduced presence at the teaching facility. The present cohort study investigated long-term effects of blended learning regarding cognitive outcomes as well as self-indicated estimates of immediate learning effects on the affective domain in the inter-professional field of occupational medicine. Physiotherapy students (bachelor degree) at FH Campus Wien – University of Applied Sciences completed the course Occupational Medicine/Prevention either in a traditional teaching-learning setting entirely taught face-to-face (control-group, n=94), or with a blended learning model (intervention-group, n=93). Long-term effects (1.5 year follow-up) on the cognitive learning outcomes were assessed according to four levels of Bloom’s learning objectives. In addition, students estimated potential benefits resulting from blended learning based on four Krathwohl’s learning objectives for the affective domain by means of a six-option Likert scale (n=282). Concerning cognitive outcomes, significant results favouring both groups were found with effect sizes from small to medium. The traditional teaching-learning setting resulted in significantly better results in the upmost aspired learning objective (analysis) at the long-term (p&lt;0,01; r=-0,33). In contrast, the intervention group resulted in significantly better long-term results on learning objective levels 1 (knowledge) and 2 (understanding) (p=0,01; r=-0,20 and, p=0,02; r=-0,17, respectively). Hence, no general recommendation favouring either the classical setting or blending learning can be drawn regarding the cognitive domain. However, students’ self-indications on the affective domain give preference to blended learning, particularly if inter-professional teamwork is a course objective.

Bourdieu and interprofessional education: what’s the relevance?

ABSTRACTInterprofessional education (IPE) is perceived to be one strategy to reduce professional compartmentalisation and improve collaborative practices. The unequal power relations existing between the various professions who need to collaborate for IPE remains largely unexamined and it is only in recent years that sociological theories have been employed within the interprofessional field. This paper uses selected findings from an exploratory case study into IPE conducted at the University of Malta and then examines these findings from a Bourdieusian perspective. The first part of this paper introduces the breath of theoretical perspectives employed for IPE and then goes on to provide an overview of Bourdieu’s theories of social practices. The second part outlines the context of this case study and presents selected findings. The third section discusses how these findings were examined using Bourdieu’s concepts helping us demystify the various ways in which health care professions worked and interacted, and how this all made sense within a wider societal context. It also highlights the relevance of taking into account Bourdieu’s concepts during the development of IPE.

Patient safety and interprofessional education: A report of key issues from two interprofessional workshops

ABSTRACTThis article presents the outcomes of two workshops which explored historical and recent issues on patient safety that directly relate to leaders in the interprofessional field. The article considers the impact of flattened team-based structures where collaborative working constantly considers safe patient-centred high-quality care. These issues are mainly rooted in changes within a UK context, but the historical case studies present situations which could enlighten and enliven discussions of patient safety in an international context. The article was sparked by discussion of recurrent themes in healthcare that have undermined the abilities of medical practitioners to adequately manage hazard in clinical care settings throughout modern history. Examining the issues that confront healthcare practitioners and care workers in their dealings with patients and clients, such as the aged or the severely disabled, can reveal commonalities across global healthcare settings, in the past and present, that provide a useful tool in facilitating the goals of interprofessional education (IPE). The potential of IPE has links to both how professionals respond together to care situations and involve the general public in shared health understandings. The outcomes focus on how to ensure ministrations where optimal team-based collaborative care is recognised and constantly sought. We conclude that IPE has much to offer in this arena and more evidence of impact here is well worth pursuing.