Priorities, strategies, and accountability measures in interprofessional education.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to identify the priorities, strategies, and accountability measures for interprofessional education (IPE) being used by health professions programs, allied health colleges, and/or universities. METHOD: An electronic survey was sent to 114 deans, associate deans, and directors (program, clinical education, graduate studies) at six institutions with allied health programs, including three academic medical centers and three comprehensive public institutions. The survey consisted of basic demographic questions and questions assessing knowledge of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) concepts of IPE, program-specific accreditation requirements for IPE, and institutional priorities, strategies, and accountability measures for IPE activities. RESULTS: An overall response rate of 50% (57/114) was achieved with representation from a total of 34 different allied health programs. Chi-squared statistics showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between the frequencies of survey responses and institutional types in the inclusion of IPE in the college/school's vision, the physical space available to accommodate IPE needs, and the commitment to set aside time for IPE. CONCLUSION: This study found that there is not a clear mandate or direction from most allied health disciplinary accrediting bodies for IPE. While there appears to be distinct movement by institutions to hold programs accountable for IPE and to integrate IPE into the curricula, barriers remain that have slowed the desired degree of implementation of an interprofessional curricula. While institutions, college, and/or programs may be slow to formally include IPE in its vision, this study found that, in general, support is being provided for IPE activities.

Identifying barriers to occupational and physical therapy services for children with cerebral palsy.

Project Export/Cerebral Palsy Project was a three-year study funded by the National Institute of Health (1R24 MD000509-01) to investigate barriers to adequate and appropriate therapy services for children and adults with Cerebral Palsy who are living in the south metropolitan region of Chicago. This study examined barriers individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and their families encounter when accessing Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) services in the region. The study utilized a 3-tiered investigation system (survey, educational forum, and focus groups) that provided families and community therapists opportunities to identify barriers that impact access to evaluations and ongoing therapy services for individuals with Cerebral Palsy.The findings revealed a multitude of barriers identified by family and therapist participants. These barriers included, but are not limited to, financial resources, availability of therapists, convenient appointment times, and transportation issues. The educational forum and focus groups were effective in identifying knowledge gaps regarding Cerebral Palsy and strategies for accessing therapy in the region. Future plans include continuing collaborative initiatives for families and therapy providers. These include community educational forums that are accessible and provide relevant information, opportunities for networking, and advocacy information. The findings of the study will also be utilized to help occupational and physical therapists develop and implement alternative models of service delivery that provide greater access to therapy services for individuals with Cerebral Palsy.