Fostering gerontology students' competence in Interprofessional collaborative practice.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is increasingly recognised as being crucial for the provision of holistic care and optimising health outcomes among older adults, many with multiple complex health problems. However, little is known about the challenges of facilitating this in practice. Therefore, this study explores these issues from the perspective of different healthcare professionals and how this might inform interprofessional education curricula. METHODS: Sixteen different healthcare professionals working in a variety of aged care (acute, rehabilitative and community) settings were invited to participate in individual semi-structured in-depth interviews designed to: (i) explore the meaning of IPCP; (ii) explore the facilitators of and barriers to IPCP; and (iii) examine the opportunities and challenges in interprofessional gerontological education. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim with thematic analysis conducted by two independent researchers. RESULTS: Three major themes emerged from the interviews: the need for IPCP; role preparedness, scope and liability; and strategies for interprofessional education. Respondents shared a common belief that IPCP improves the quality of life of older adults in both hospital and community settings by improving person-centred coordinated care and decision making in care planning. However, respondents perceived major barriers to IPCP to be lack of knowledge about healthcare professionals' scope of practice, lack of training in interprofessional collaboration, professional culture and stereotypes, and liability issues. Suggested approaches to overcome these barriers included innovative teaching and learning approaches, engaging students early on in the curriculum of health professional degree programmes, and enhancing collaborative effective communication in health and social care settings. CONCLUSIONS: It is anticipated that these findings will be used to inform the development of a new interprofessional gerontological education curriculum that aims to enhance students' competence in IPCP.

Effects of Tai Chi on health outcomes among community-dwelling adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review evaluated the effects of Tai Chi on health outcomes among community-dwelling adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in 10 databases. Data were statistically pooled for meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty RCTs were included. One study involved adults with MetS, and the other 19 studies involved adults with at least one risk factor for MetS. Tai Chi was found to reduce waist circumference and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in obese adults. Tai Chi also reduces waist circumference, body mass index, blood glucose level, insulin resistance, and increases the quality of life (QoL) in adults with elevated blood glucose/type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Among participants with hypertension, Tai Chi improves blood pressure, lipid profiles, anxiety, depression, and physical QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Tai Chi may be effective for enhancing the physiological and psychosocial wellbeing of community-dwelling adults at risk of MetS. Further RCTs are needed to examine its effects in adults with MetS and identify optimal regimes.