Do Regulatory and Curriculum Requirements for Interprofessional Practice Align?

Background: While interprofessional (IP) competency and Interprofessional Education (IPE) has received increasing attention in health, agreement on specific competencies and teaching approaches is frequently limited by profession-specific understandings. As part of a quality improvement initiative focused on improving delivery of IPE offerings, this enquiry maps current regulatory and curricula requirements for IP practice to health professional students from 12 professions trained across Aotearoa New Zealand's national vocational education provider. Methods: Requirements for IP competency in national accreditation documents and in an operative teaching curricula were mapped for 12 professions, namely, clinical exercise physiology, counselling, massage, medical radiology, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, osteopathy, paramedicine, physiotherapy, social work, and sport and exercise science. A desk audit was conducted to identify the presence of core IP competencies for each profession. This involved a four-step process 1) Examination of regulatory standards for each profession to confirm IP requirements for each profession; 2) Examination of an operative curricula from each profession to identify the presence and translation of IP regulatory requirements to each of the profession-specific programs of study; 3) Mapping to identify within domains the core (common) IP competencies across the professions, and 4) Consideration of the similarities and differences between accreditation documents and curricula. Results: Of 12 professions, 10 clearly identified IP competency as an expectation. Clinical Exercise Physiology and Counselling were exceptions with explicit requirement for IP competency not evident. Coordination and collaboration were the most identified competency domains in accreditation documents and curricula. In descending order of prevalence, communication, shared values, reflexivity, role-understanding, and teamwork were also identified requirements amongst the 10 professions with IP competency requirements. Conclusion: The IP competencies identified as common across professions can be used to inform development of teaching and assessment. Greater alignment between teaching curricula and required competency standards in this area is recommended.

Exploring the option of student-run free health clinics to support people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a scoping review.

Diabetes is a major cause of morbidity and premature mortality worldwide and now identified as a 'public health emergency' and a 'modern and preventable pandemic'. Indigenous populations are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and associated complications. Student run free clinics (SRFCs) may play an important role in the prevention and management of T2DM. The primary objective of this scoping review was to investigate the opportunity for curriculum enhancement through the role and effectiveness of SRFCs in managing T2DM. Electronic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Science Direct and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to October 2022. Identified records from database literature searches were imported into Covidence®. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted the data. The research team collectively created a data charting table/form to standardize data collection. A narrative synthesis was used to summarize the evidence. Six studies (total of 319 participants) that met our eligibility criteria were included in this scoping review. SRFCs can provide high-quality diabetic care, especially for uninsured and economically weaker population. Preliminary evidence further indicate that shared medical appointments and telehealth may facilitate diabetic care especially during times where access to care may be difficult (e.g., COVID lockdown). However, no study included in the review explored or discussed family centred/culturally sensitive interventions. Hence, such interventions should be made part of the curriculum in the future with students in SRFCs exposed to such an approach.

Tools for faculty assessment of interdisciplinary competencies of healthcare students: an integrative review.

Increasingly, interprofessional teamwork is required for the effective delivery of public health services in primary healthcare settings. Interprofessional competencies should therefore be incorporated within all health and social service education programs. Educational innovation in the development of student-led clinics (SLC) provides a unique opportunity to assess and develop such competencies. However, a suitable assessment tool is needed to appropriately assess student progression and the successful acquisition of competencies. This study adopts an integrative review methodology to locate and review existing tools utilized by teaching faculty in the assessment of interprofessional competencies in pre-licensure healthcare students. A limited number of suitable assessment tools have been reported in the literature, as highlighted by the small number of studies included. Findings identify use of existing scales such as the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) and the McMaster Ottawa Scale with Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE) tools plus a range of other approaches, including qualitative interviews and escape rooms. Further research and consensus are needed for the development of teaching and assessment tools appropriate for healthcare students. This is particularly important in the context of interprofessional, community-partnered public health and primary healthcare SLC learning but will be of relevance to health students in a broad range of clinical learning contexts.

Patient Outcomes from Student-Run Health Services: An Integrative Review.

Background: Student-run clinics (SRCs) offer an innovative approach to expand healthcare access and equity and increase clinical placement opportunities for students. However, research on the health benefits and/or outcomes of such clinics is currently fragmented. Methods: An integrative review was conducted to capture and synthesize findings across a range of study types involving varied student disciplines, student delivered intervention types, and health conditions addressed or care areas of focus. Only published and peer reviewed studies were included. Studies needed to report outcomes in a defined study group measured over time, or report SRC data with explicit comparisons to non-SRC settings. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis to identify major themes and natural clustering of health outcomes measured. Results: Fifty-one articles were selected for review based on the eligibility criteria. Studies were predominantly from the United States, and most (n = 34, 67%) adopted a case review methodology for measuring outcomes. Health outcomes were evaluated in relation to a range of health conditions that, for the purposes of this review, were considered to naturally cluster into eight categories: diabetes, hypertension, functional health/quality of life, depression, hospital utilization, substance use, weight, health screening/vaccinations, and others. Conclusion: This integrative review sought to evaluate the health outcomes accrued by patients in student-run health clinics. Taken as a whole, the literature suggests positive health outcomes resulting from student-run clinics across a range of health conditions. Greater confidence in care-related findings would be achieved from future research utilizing more robust and prospective study designs.