Longitudinal faculty development to improve interprofessional collaboration and practice: a multisite qualitative study at five US academic health centres.

OBJECTIVES: Interprofessional (IP) collaboration and effective teamwork remain variable in healthcare organisations. IP bias, assumptions and conflicts limit the capacity of healthcare teams to leverage the expertise of their members to meet growing complexities of patient needs and optimise healthcare outcomes. We aimed to understand how a longitudinal faculty development programme, designed to optimise IP learning, influenced its participants in their IP roles. DESIGN: In this qualitative study, using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we analysed participants' anonymous narrative responses to open-ended questions about specific knowledge, insights and skills acquired during our IP longitudinal faculty development programme and applications of this learning to teaching and practice. SETTING: Five university-based academic health centres across the USA. PARTICIPANTS: IP faculty/clinician leaders from at least three different professions completed small group-based faculty development programmes over 9 months (18 sessions). Site leaders selected participants from applicants forecast as future leaders of IP collaboration and education. INTERVENTIONS: Completion of a longitudinal IP faculty development programme designed to enhance leadership, teamwork, self-knowledge and communication. RESULTS: A total of 26 programme participants provided 52 narratives for analysis. Relationships and relational learning were the overarching themes. From the underlying themes, we developed a summary of relational competencies identified at each of three learning levels: (1) Intrapersonal (within oneself): reflective capacity/self-awareness, becoming aware of biases, empathy for self and mindfulness. (2) Interpersonal (interacting with others): listening, understanding others' perspectives, appreciation and respect for colleagues and empathy for others. (3) Systems level (interacting within organisation): resilience, conflict engagement, team dynamics and utilisation of colleagues as resources. CONCLUSIONS: Our faculty development programme for IP faculty leaders at five US academic health centres achieved relational learning with attitudinal changes that can enhance collaboration with others. We observed meaningful changes in participants with decreased biases, increased self-reflection, empathy and understanding of others' perspectives and enhanced IP teamwork.

A Multi-Site Evaluation of A National Employee Wellness Initiative at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Background: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) seeks to transform its health care delivery from disease-centered, episodic care to a holistic and patient-centered model known as the Whole Health System (WHS) of care. Employee engagement and buy-in are crucial to this cultural transformation. The VA aspires to provide employees with opportunities to experience whole health in their personal and professional lives through a national Employee Whole Health (EWH) program. Although there are national recommendations, different local facilities may have unique strategies and challenges as they implement this program. Objective: This study aimed to conduct a program evaluation of EWH at three different VA facilities across the United States in order to identify facilitators and barriers to the implementation of EWH. Methods: The team used the RE-AIM framework to develop an interview guide to assess various domains of implementation. Quantitative data on whole health offerings at each site were gauged using a national employee education platform. Standardized employee-related metrics at each site were assessed using the annual, national VA employee survey. Results: EWH has had variable implementation at the three sites. Sites noted main facilitators as employee interest as well as available skills and expertise for delivering complementary and integrative care to employees. Limited staffing for EWH and a lack of dedicated employee time were cited as barriers. The infrastructure to perform local program evaluations to demonstrate effectiveness and impact were missing. Conclusion: Employee engagement in whole health activities has the potential to support the VA's mission to transform its health care delivery model. Currently, the use of EWH and its potential impact are difficult to discern based on available information. Local sites need guidance to conduct program evaluations and find creative solutions to enhance employee participation. A robust measurement system to demonstrate effectiveness is paramount to ensure the success of this initiative.

A Scoring Rubric for the Knowledge Section of the Systems Quality Improvement Training and Assessment Tool.

Introduction: Quality improvement (QI) competencies for health professions trainees were developed to address health care quality. Strategies to integrate QI into curricula exist, but methods for assessing interdisciplinary learners' competency are less developed. We refined the Knowledge section scoring rubric of the Systems Quality Improvement Training and Assessment Tool (SQI TAT) and examined its validity evidence. Methods: In 2017, the SQI TAT Knowledge section was expanded to cover seven core QI concepts, and the scoring rubric was refined. Three coders independently scored 35 SQI TAT Knowledge sections (18 pretests, 17 posttests). Interrater reliability was assessed by percent agreement and Cohen's kappa for individual variables and by Lin's concordance correlation for total scores for knowledge and application. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing responses from two groups with different QI exposure and evaluating whether differences in exposure were measured. Results: Total-score interrater reliability average measures of concordance were .89 for all coders and >.70 for six of seven concept scores. The total score discriminated the two groups (p <. 05), and five of seven concept scores were higher for the group with more QI experience. Total scores were significantly higher posttest than pretest (p < .001), with improvement in posttest knowledge scores. Discussion: The SQI TAT Knowledge section provides a comprehensive assessment of QI knowledge. The scoring rubric was able to discriminate QI knowledge along a continuum. The SQI TAT Knowledge section is not linked to a clinical context, making it useful for assessing interprofessional learners and varying education levels.

Improving Incident Reporting in a Hospital-Based Radiation Oncology Department: The Impact of a Customized Crew Resource Training and Event Reporting Intervention.

Background Radiation oncology (RO) is a high-risk environment with an increased potential for error due to the complex automated and manual interactions between heterogeneous teams and advanced technologies. Errors involving procedural deviations-- can adversely impact patient morbidity and mortality. Under-reporting of errors is common in healthcare for reasons such as fear of retribution, liability, embarrassment, etc. Incident reporting is a proven tool for learning from errors and, when effectively implemented, can improve quality and safety. Crew resource management (CRM) employs just culture principles with a team-based safety system. The pillars of CRM include mandatory error reporting and structured training to proactively identify, learn from, and mitigate incidents. High-reliability organizations, such as commercial aviation, have achieved exemplary safety performance since adopting CRM strategies. Objective Our aim was to double the rate of staff error reporting from baseline rates utilizing CRM strategies during a six-month study period in a hospital-based radiation oncology (RO) department. Methods This quasi-experimental study involved a retrospective review of reported radiation oncology incidents between January 2015 and March 2016, which helped inform the development and implementation of a two-step custom CRM training and incident learning system (ILS) intervention in May 2016. A convenience sample of approximately 50 RO staff (Staff) performing over 100 external beam and daily brachytherapy treatments participated in weekly training for six months while continuing to report errors on a hospital-enterprise system. A discipline-specific incident learning system (ILS) customized for the department was added during the last three months of the study, enabling staff to identify, characterize, and report incidents and potential errors. Weekly process control charts used to trend incident reporting rates (total number of reported incidents in a given month /1000 fractions), and custom reports characterizing the potential severity as well as the location of incidents along the treatment path, were reviewed, analyzed, and addressed by an RO multidisciplinary project committee established for this study. Results A five-fold increase in the monthly reported number of incidents (n = 9.3) was observed during the six-month intervention period as compared to the 16-month pre-intervention period (n = 1.8). A significant increase (>3 sigma) was observed when the custom reporting system was added during the last three study months. Conclusion A discipline-specific electronic ILS enabling the characterization of individual RO incidents combined with routine CRM training is an effective method for increasing staff incident reporting and engagement, leading to a more systematic, team-based mitigation process. These combined strategies allowed for real-time reporting, analysis, and learning that can be used to enhance patient safety, improve teamwork, streamline communication, and advance a culture of safety.

The interprofessional Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars program pre- and postdoctoral nurse fellow outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Quality Scholars (VAQS) program, an interprofessional fellowship that includes pre- and postdoctoral nurses, aims to inspire practice change leaders. Fellows participate in a national curriculum, lead improvement/research teams, and establish professional development plans with expert mentor guidance. PURPOSE: To describe the distinctive elements of the VAQS program, nurse fellow outcomes, and accomplishments of nurse alumni as leaders, researchers, and educators. METHODS: Data were reviewed and aggregated from past and current fellow surveys. FINDINGS: Nurse fellows completed research and improvement projects that benefitted both the VA and the local health systems. Scholarly outcomes include publications, conference presentations, grant submissions, teaching/leading quality improvement, and research initiatives. Graduates transition to positions as nurse scientists, academic faculty, and operational leaders. DISCUSSION: Fellows contribute to the strategic priorities of local and national VA and external health care organizations providing a pipeline of health system expert leaders, educators, and researchers. CONCLUSION: Doctoral nursing fellowship experiences build human capital for enhancing the science of improvement and implementation, interprofessional collaboration, and leadership.

A Qualitative Evaluation of Caregiver Support Services Offered at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

INTRODUCTION: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides health care to approximately 300,000 patients with dementia. Recognizing the critical role caregivers play in veterans' health, the Cognitive Disorders Specialty Care Education Center of Excellence (COE) at the Atlanta VA Health Care System implemented a suite of caregiver support services, including formal programs and resource linkages. We evaluated the effectiveness of these services and identified caregiver-perceived gaps in them. METHODS: We conducted 11 semistructured interviews from November 2016 through February 2017 with caregivers of veterans seen in the COE who had participated in support services. After coding transcripts, we established a codebook of 9 major themes and conducted a thematic analysis of all transcripts. RESULTS: Caregivers spoke positively of COE caregiver services that offered information on dementia, social support, an emphasis on caregiver well-being and self-efficacy, and methods for behavioral change. Gaps identified included the need for additional dementia information and practical support in such matters as advanced directives and eligibility for VA benefits. CONCLUSION: Our findings will inform future improvements to COE caregiver support services, such as an expansion of COE's caregiver educational content and capacity building of existing components such as resource referrals. These results also highlight opportunities for COE to interface with internal and external organizations to enhance existing caregiver services.

Growing a Robust Academic Practice Partnership in an Academic Health System.

Schools of nursing located within academic health centers have embraced expanded opportunities to lead in this era of rapid change and considerable uncertainty in US health care. These schools bear a unique responsibility to work with their clinical nursing partners to advance the care of patients, improve the health of communities and populations, and help steward the nation's health care resources. This article describes how the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has formed and sustained academic-practice partnerships in response to these imperatives. The structures and processes that have supported the partnerships are shared, as are the keys to success in a true partnership. The authors describe the work required to achieve mutually agreed-upon goals, along with the challenges that faculty and health care leaders have faced in their journey to system partnerships.

Effects of participation vs. observation of a simulation experience on testing outcomes: implications for logistical planning for a school of nursing.

The simulation program within our nursing curriculum covers a wide array of content areas and has been rated very highly by students and faculty. Due to this success, requests for increased simulation experiences have grown dramatically. The challenge lies, however, in logistically accommodating large student groups in finite periods of time. To overcome these constraints, an alternative plan was devised where half of the students actively participate in the simulation while their cohort observes. Both groups participate in the debriefing process. Findings revealed no significant differences (p=.97) between the simulation and observational groups on scoring of the test items related to this content (n=92). Over 70% reported the simulation experience as enjoyable, well-organized, clarified issues, increased knowledge and prepared them to work in a hospital. These findings indicate that the use of this alternate plan was effective for student learning and could therefore be incorporated into the simulation program design.