National Interprofessional Education Initiatives

Purpose: The goal of this presentation is to define the IPE activities that meet the national competencies and share strategies for designing, implementing, and assessing IPE programs. Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), interprofessional education is defined as students from 2 or more professions learning about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaborations and improve health outcomes. The institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that IPE must be included in the education and training of health care professionals to enhance the delivery of health care services. Most recently, many accrediting agencies have refined IPE to be Interprofessional Practice and Education. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) included IPE in the 2016 Accreditation Standards. Many colleges and schools of pharmacy have successfully developed and implemented IPE programs at their institutions. Description of Intervention: Faculty and administrators from various U.S. pharmacy programs will describe didactic and experiential IPE programs at their institutions. The presenters will share innovative examples of IPE programs and provide “lessons learned” for developing, implementing, and assessing IPE programs. Results: A group of academicians will highlight their national IPE initiatives to better meet the WHO framework, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competencies, and ACPE standards. In addition, the presenters will describe innovative strategies for designing, implementing, and assessing the quality of IPE programs in various schools and colleges of pharmacy. Conclusions: Re-designing the education and training of health care professionals by including IPE will enhance the quality and safety of health care services, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes. Relevance to IPE or Practice: Initiatives used to design, implement, and assess various IPE programs can be applied to other healthcare disciplines delivering IPE. Educational and training outcomes of these initiatives can be mapped to national and global IPE standards to enhance the quality of pharmacy education. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe various national programs for designing, implementing, and assessing IPE. 2. Identify successful examples of IPE pharmacy programs applicable to other health care professions. 3. Share “lessons learned” for designing, implementing, and assessing IPE programs

The Potential of Positioning: Assessing New Directions for an Integrated, Feminist International Political Economy

Feminist analyses of International Political Economy (IPE) currently face a significant epistemological challenge. By seeking to engage with mainstream political economists, feminist IPE scholars have narrowed the interdisciplinary approach that is common in most contemporary feminist scholarship to instead focus almost exclusively on the effects of neoliberal globalization. However, this focus has proved unsuccessful in garnering the interest of most mainstream international political economists and has isolated these scholars from feminist research in other disciplines. This paper argues that feminist IPE could gain significant leverage within its field by employing an interdisciplinary approach that links broader feminist issue such as violence against women to political economy. This is examined by reviewing some of the major feminist works in IPE and assessing their reception within the field of IPE. Next, the potential for broader feminist issues to garner mainstream attention in IPE is assessed by evaluating the economic implications of violence against women. In altering their epistemology to include a broader feminist analysis, feminist IPE scholars can effectively illustrate the need for feminist analysis in IPE while also wedding their research to the rich, interdisciplinary research of feminists in other fields

Interprofessional education for first year psychology students: career plans, perceived relevance and attitudes

Undergraduate psychology students have been largely excluded from interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. In contrast to many health professions, undergraduate psychology students do not engage in work placements as part of their degree, and many enter careers outside the health care context. However, the collaborative skills gained through an IPE experience may well be beneficial to students who work in this wider context. This research examines whether undergraduate psychology students’ views of IPE vary according to their planned career directions, and if so, whether the perceived relevance of IPE mediates the relationships. A sample of 188 Australian university undergraduate psychology students completed an online questionnaire following completion of a first-year IPE health sciences program. Path analysis indicated that psychology students’ attitudes towards IPE are associated with both professional identification and practitioner orientation, fully mediated through the perceived relevance of IPE to future career and study plans. Stronger professional identification and practitioner orientation were associated with greater perceived relevance and more positive and less negative attitudes towards IPE. Placing a stronger emphasis on the generalizability of IP skills taught may increase students’ awareness of the relevance outside of the health context, reducing disengagement of students planning alternative careers

Redesigning Instruction for Inter-Professional Education

Purpose: A pilot project created a curriculum model infusing Interprofessional Education (IPE) in Mercy College’s School of Health and Natural Sciences (SHNS), allowing students and faculty to integrate IPE within programmatic courses. Background: As institutions focus on patient safety, quality and cost effective care, the call for interprofessional collaboration among providers continues to rise (Chen, Delnat & Gardner, 2015). This program included innovative teaching strategies and curriculum development in the health care programs within the SHNS. Description of Program: Pilot projects focused on history taking and IPE patient case scenarios, allowing students to experience interactive hands on learning of IPE concepts and competencies. Two workshops were held to educate the faculty in developing IPE cases and debriefing strategies. The first program used real patients with chronic conditions allowing students to gain confidence in interviewing while understanding the commonalities between disciplines. This project included students from communication disorders, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant programs. Participants completed an adapted version of the Attitudes Towards Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) (Kim & Ko, 2014) before and after each pilot program, and a one minute reflection after each program. Findings identified significant changes in five variables on the adapted ATHCTS. The qualitative one minute reflection identified themes of commonalities between disciplines. All students identified a need to provide more IPE education among all of the disciplines. This project demonstrated a new way to use strategies to engage patients as partners in developing new models of IPE and care. This project also addressed approaches to prepare and engage both students and faculty in the IPE process. IPE activities will be broadened in the upcoming years and continue to include patients in the IPE education process. Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation participants will be able to - Identify new modalities of creating IPE initiatives for implementation across disciplines that incorporate patients into the IPE process. - Identify methods of training faculty in creating IPE strategies and debriefing. Reference: Kim, K & Ko, J. (2014). Attitudes toward interprofessional health care teams scale: a confirmatory factor analysis. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 2014; 28(2): 149–154

Using a Mixed Methods Approach to Explore Perceptions of Early Learners in Classroom-Based Interprofessional Education Experiences

Background: - Interprofessional education (IPE) is a global imperative - Health profession education programs, motivated by accreditation requirements, have added IPE activities into their required curricula. - Curriculum development varies considerably across institutions and debate exists regarding appropriate timing for introducing learners to IPE in order to optimally improve health outcomes. - Some evidence shows benefit of early learner IPE in professional identity development, interprofessional socialization and positive attitude development toward interprofessional practice. - At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), IPE is integrated longitudinally through the curriculum for several of the health professions programs via IPEC courses

Impact of Program Review on IPE Programming and Assessment

Purpose: Efforts to measure the effectiveness of Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) are challenging. We will present how formal program review can measure IPE effectiveness and lead to improvements in programming and assessment. Background: Western University of Health Sciences requires program review of curricular programs. The IPE curriculum recently underwent program review. External reviewers shared the results of their evaluations with university administration and deans. Their specific recommendations led to a retreat and development of a vision statement for IPE and the development of a new clinical assessment tool. Description of Intervention: After program review and receipt of the reviewers’ recommendations a full day retreat was held with senior administration and Deans from all health professions programs. Through these efforts a new IPE program vision statement was re-stated with reaffirmed commitments from all present. Preliminary Results: A shared vision statement was developed and finalized, which led to re-prioritizing core and key competencies to be used in the IPE curriculum. The revised core competencies were circulated via electronic survey to clinical practice sites where preceptors provided feedback and comments so that the competencies adequately defined measurable skills and behaviors could be used as assessment tools during clinical rotations. Relevance to Interprofessional Education or Practice: Program review can have an impact on the development of a shared university IPE vision and the identification of measurable IPE behaviors and skills important to the field. Recommendation for future investigation or incorporation into education: Outcomes from the new assessment tool will be compiled and analyzed with respect to use in clinical education across health professions. Learning Objectives: 1) Describe how formal university program review can used to renew senior administration commitment to IPE and to improve assessment practices. 2) Reflect on how program review can be instituted in any institution with an IPE program

Testing theory in interprofessional education: Social capital as a case study

Theory is essential to understand our interprofessional educational (IPE) practice. As a discipline, IPE has moved from being widely atheoretical to having a plethora of theories imported from the psychosocial disciplines that have utility to understand, articulate and improve IPE practice and evaluation. This paper proposes that when taking this deductive approach to theoretical development in IPE, a greater focus must now be placed on the rigorous testing of these theories within the IPE context. It synthesizes two approaches to achieving this, using the social capital theory as a case study, and focuses on the first two stages of this synthesis: first, the identification of the concepts and propositions that make up a theory within the study context and second, the value-based judgments made by the researcher and other stakeholders on the utility of these propositions. The interprofessional student group is chosen as a possible exemplar of a social network and theory-derived concepts and propositions are identified and classified within this context. With a focus on physical network characteristics, validation of these propositions with a sample of IPE educationalists is described. We present a range of propositions specifically related to the size and mix of IPE student groups, the frequency and level with which students participate in these as well as some of the existing evidence that have explored these propositions to date. Refined propositions and the way forward in the future application and empirical testing of social capital theory in IPE are presented

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

Benefits of interprofessional education in health care.

This article examines some of the literature regarding the benefits of interprofessional education (IPE) in the field of health care. These benefits in relation to service users (and carers), higher education institutions, service providers and students are all explored. Barriers to IPE are being broken down by many of the various stakeholders working towards a similar agenda. However, currently there remains some doubt as to whether IPE has a direct positive impact on the health gain of service users and carers. Research is needed to demonstrate if service users and carers benefit directly from IPE and if they do not, the reason for pursuing it needs to be questioned

Increasing IPE Awareness through Social Media and Leveraging Visual Content

Background: Social networking is the most popular online activity and increasingly where students, health professionals, and patients get information[i]. In a 2015 student survey at an urban health sciences university, social media was the second most preferred method of communication. Furthermore, content with images gets 94% more total views[ii] and can say more about a program than a long description. This shift is a challenge in healthcare where patient confidentiality is paramount. Description of Intervention or Program: We created a Twitter account in August 2015. Our goals were to: Promote awareness of internal and external IPE programs Drive student attendance at IPE programs Encourage continuous interprofessional learning and innovation Recognizing the effectiveness of visual content, we subscribed to an online service for creating infographics and other images. Results: We have amassed 186 followers, with a daily average of 316 impressions (number of times users saw a tweet on Twitter). We share ideas within the IPE community and support internal partners. In 2016, our tweets with images have had 52% higher engagement from followers; tweets with videos had 72% higher engagement. Conclusion: Social media spreads awareness of IPE initiatives and helps to connect with the internal and external IPE communities. Visual content increases engagement. Social media platforms with more student traffic, such as Facebook and Instagram, could help increase followership among students in particular. Relevance to interprofessional education or practice: As IPE is an increasing priority for educators and providers, it is important these individuals know about the IPE resources and campus network. A well-managed social media account can increase such awareness. 2-3 measureable learning objectives relevant to conference goals: Explain the importance of leveraging social media to increase awareness of IPE among students, faculty, and clinicians Leverage visual content to maximize engagement with audience and support marketing needs of IPE faculty and staff [i] Richter, F. (2013). Social Networking Is the No. 1 Online Activity in the U.S. https://www.statista.com/chart/1238/digital-media-use-in-the-us/ [ii] Bullas, J., & Mawhinney, J. (2016). 37 Visual Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know in 2016. http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy#sm.00001kbk5bfyecddivn7nnbuchdn