Replicable Interprofessional Competency Outcomes from High-Volume, Inter-Institutional, Interprofessional Simulation

There are significant limitations among the few prior studies that have examined the development and implementation of interprofessional education (IPE) experiences to accommodate a high volume of students from several disciplines and from different institutions. The present study addressed these gaps by seeking to determine the extent to which a single, large, inter-institutional, and IPE simulation event improves student perceptions of the importance and relevance of IPE and simulation as a learning modality, whether there is a difference in students’ perceptions among disciplines, and whether the results are reproducible. A total of 290 medical, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy students participated in one of two large, inter-institutional, IPE simulation events. Measurements included student perceptions about their simulation experience using the Attitude Towards Teamwork in Training Undergoing Designed Educational Simulation (ATTITUDES) Questionnaire and open-ended questions related to teamwork and communication. Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement across all ATTITUDES subscales, while time management, role confusion, collaboration, and mutual support emerged as significant themes. Results of the present study indicate that a single IPE simulation event can reproducibly result in significant and educationally meaningful improvements in student perceptions towards teamwork, IPE, and simulation as a learning modality

An Approach for the Development and Implementation of an Assessment Tool for Interprofessional Education Learning Activities

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 2016 state that colleges of pharmacy must assess student achievement and readiness to contribute as a member of an interprofessional collaborative patient care team. There are a limited number of assessment tools available to achieve this part of the Standards. The purpose of this Case Study Report is to describe the process that one college of pharmacy took to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) assessment tool to be used for their longitudinal assessment approach for IPE in the didactic portion of the curriculum. Strategies for the development of an assessment tool are provided through three themes: continuous refinement, collaboration and streamlining. Next steps for the implementation of the assessment tool, as well as evaluating its validity and reliability, are discussed.   Type: Case Stud

Four Themes to Enhanced Interprofessional Education Integration: Lessons Learned from Early Implementation and Curricular Redesign

With the release of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2016, interprofessional education (IPE) has become more formalized and needs to be embedded into the curricula of colleges and schools of pharmacy. While IPE is not new to the practice and training of pharmacists, the call for IPE has become more robust over the last several years creating challenges to widespread implementation. The purpose of this Case Study Report is to describe a twelve-year progression of IPE implementation at a college of pharmacy without an academic medical center. Focused strategies for the development, integration, and expansion of IPE are provided through the context of four themes: working through program differences; collaborators and effective collaboration; attention to implementation planning; and prebriefing and debriefing. Each theme is defined and reviewed using specific examples and lessons learned. Finally, in consideration of the ACPE Standards 2016, potential next steps are discussed.   Type: Case Stud