Inter-professional education and primary care : EFPC position paper

Inter-professional education (IPE) can support professionals in developing their ability to work collaboratively. This position paper from the European Forum for Primary Care considers the design and implementation of IPE within primary care. This paper is based on workshops and is an evidence review of good practice. Enablers of IPE programmes are involving patients in the design and delivery, providing a holistic focus, focussing on practical actions, deploying multi-modal learning formats and activities, including more than two professions, evaluating formative and summative aspects, and encouraging team-based working. Guidance for the successful implementation of IPE is set out with examples from qualifying and continuing professional development programmes

Curriculum renewal for interprofessional education in health

In this preface we comment on four matters that we think bode well for the future of interprofessional education in Australia. First, there is a growing articulation, nationally and globally, as to the importance of interprofessional education and its contribution to the development of interprofessional and collaborative health practices. These practices are increasingly recognised as central to delivering effective, efficient, safe and sustainable health services. Second, there is a rapidly growing interest and institutional engagement with interprofessional education as part of pre-registration health professional education. This has changed substantially in recent years. Whilst beyond the scope of our current studies, the need for similar developments in continuing professional development (CPD) for health professionals was a consistent topic in our stakeholder consultations. Third, we observe what might be termed a threshold effect occurring in the area of interprofessional education. Projects that address matters relating to IPE are now far more numerous, visible and discussed in terms of their aggregate outcomes. The impact of this momentum is visible across the higher education sector. Finally, we believe that effective collaboration is a critical mediating process through which the rich resources of disciplinary knowledge and capability are joined to add value to existing health service provision. We trust the conceptual and practical contributions and resources presented and discussed in this report contribute to these developments.Office of Learning and Teaching Australi

Virtual Collaboration in the Online Educational Setting: A Concept Analysis

This study was designed to explore the concept of virtual collaboration within the context of an online learning environment in an academic setting. Rodgers’ method of evolutionary concept analysis was used to provide a contextual view of the concept to identify attributes, antecedents, and consequences of virtual collaboration. Commonly used terms to describe virtual collaboration are collaborative and cooperative learning, group work, group interaction, group learning and teamwork. A constructivist pedagogy, group-based process with a shared purpose, support and web-based technology are required for virtual collaboration to take place. Consequences of virtual collaboration are higher order thinking and learning to work with others. A comprehensive definition of virtual collaboration is offered as an outcome of this analysis. Clarification of virtual collaboration prior to using it as a pedagogic tool in the online learning environment will enhance nursing education with the changes in nursing curriculum being implemented today. Further research is recommended to describe the developmental stages of the collaborative process among nursing students in online education and how virtual collaboration facilitates collaboration in practice

An Exploration of Interdisciplinary Graduate Education and Training: Currently Available Information, Perspectives, and Beliefs

Background and Objectives Interdisciplinary research has come into the limelight over the last 30 years. Current literature identifies interdisciplinary research as having the potential to assist in solving complex contemporary problems or issues through the inclusion of multiple disciplinary perspectives to account for the systematic intricacies therein. This project served as an exploration of interdisciplinary graduate education, graduate interdisciplinary research training, and the practice of interdisciplinary research, using three primary objectives. We first sought to identify and present current information around interdisciplinary graduate education and research training. Second, study personnel aimed to explore opinions and beliefs on interdisciplinary education and interdisciplinary research held by graduate students. Lastly, this project aimed to understand the interest in and willingness of graduate faculty to teach interdisciplinary courses or experiences. Methods This project utilized a mixed-methods approach across three studies in pursuit of the project’s objectives. First a narrative review was conducted to ascertain and describe currently available information. A qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews was employed to understand the perspectives and beliefs held by graduate students and graduate faculty while also inquiring about their histories and interests around interdisciplinary education and research. Online quantitative surveys were used to further understand the interests, perspectives and beliefs held by graduate students around interdisciplinarity. Results The narrative review identified 58 articles for inclusion and disseminated information within this project. The interviews found an interest in and belief of importance in interdisciplinary education and research held by graduate students and graduate faculty members. Graduate students were interested in and willing to take interdisciplinary courses and work on interdisciplinary research, while graduate faculty members believed in their ability to instruct interdisciplinary courses and were already conducting interdisciplinary research. The survey study found that graduate students report they believe they are ready, willing, and able to perform well in interdisciplinary education and research. Additionally graduate students reported a perceived importance of interdisciplinary research that was not significantly different from a perceived importance of disciplinary research. Implications and Conclusions Our initial hypotheses were supported. There is a common positive perception of the importance and value of interdisciplinary graduate education and research. Current literature supports its use and implementation, graduate students are interested in engaging and learning from interdisciplinary contexts, and faculty members are willing to teach through and already engage in interdisciplinary education and research. This project presents a rationale for further examination of interest in interdisciplinary graduate education, and discuses some benefits, barriers, and motivations associated with interdisciplinary education and research training that may help in improving the practice of interdisciplinary research among current graduate students and future professionals

New partnerships for learning: meeting professional information needs

This paper has been prompted by the challenges created by recent proposed reforms to social care services in the UK services which are being 'modernised', a term ubiquitous in policy documents but difficult to define with confidence. Government modernisation and e-government programmes highlight with renewed urgency the need for social care practitioners on the front line to have up-to-date, reliable information. Yet the rise in the rate and volume of information published (over new and old channels) has, paradoxically, made it increasingly difficult for them to keep up with new developments. How can higher education institutions best contribute to the social care community through a period of profound ideological and structural change? In particular, the paper discusses the key challenges of keeping abreast of research; changes in the social/organisational/professional context of social care; how social care practitioners learn; and effectively integrating practice, research and educatio