Interprofessional learning in practice-based settings: AMEE Guide No. 169.

The provision of optimum health care services requires collaboration of health care professionals in integrated interprofessional (IP) teams. This guide addresses the practical aspects of establishing and delivering pre-licensure IP programs to prepare graduates of health professional programs to work in teams and wider collaboration, and consequently enhance the quality of health care. The main updated IP frameworks are presented to highlight commonalities that represent the essential competencies and outcomes of programs implementing interprofessional education (IPE). We discuss how these may be adapted to the local context, and present examples of models of implementation to guide the initial steps of establishing similar programs. Examples of pre-licensure IP practice-based learning, such as community-based, simulation-based, student-run and led clinics, and interprofessional training wards, and post-licensure interprofessional learning (IPL), are described. We consider assessment of IPL along the continuum of learning IP. This guide also emphasises the need to tailor faculty development programs for local contexts and consider factors affecting sustainability such as funding and accreditation. We finish with the governance of IP programs and how global IP networks may support interprofessional practice-based learning from development to delivery.

Leveraging the strengths of a global network to adapt and sustain interprofessional education and collaborative practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP), and global educators collaborated to mitigate the impact. This report reflects the innovations of the global network InterprofessionalResearch.Global (IPR.Global), exploring adaptations and emerging practices in IPECP, and formation of the COVID-19 Taskforce. In response to widespread change and crisis in the pandemic, the Taskforce mobilized global collaboration by forming working groups which led to IPECP innovations through IPR.Global reports, publications, and knowledge forums. Tuckman's theory of group formation is used to explore interprofessional group structures and to understand how network members adapted and collaborated effectively through stages of group development. By leveraging the strengths of IPR.Global, an established global network, adaptations could be made to sustain IPECP in the pandemic, sharing and exploring experiences of emerging best practice through collaborations, group working and knowledge mobilization. Whilst the pandemic impacted IPECP across the world, global networks and teams were key to developing, advancing, and sustaining interprofessional innovations. Through exploring the lessons learned, future collaborations can consider how to promote knowledge mobilization, and sustainability within the global community of practice and advance IPECP by considering team formation theory.

Experiences of faculty and students regarding a locally developed framework for implementing interprofessional education during international electives in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Given that there are hardly any comprehensive frameworks to guide institutions on approaches to use as they implement interprofessional education and collaborative practice during international electives, we developed and piloted a framework to address this gap. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the experiences of faculty and students regarding the use of the developed interprofessional education and collaborative practice framework during international electives. METHODS: This was an exploratory qualitative study. The study participants included faculty and students from four health training universities in Africa who participated in the pilot of international electives guided by the framework developed. Deductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The codes were categorized as per the major themes. RESULTS: The major themes regarding the framework included (1) The Strengths, (2) Weaknesses, (3) Opportunities, and (4) Threats. All participants perceived the framework as useful and appropriate to enable the acquisition of interprofessional education and collaborative practice skills objectives set. The framework's duration of the elective was seen as a weakness with the need for an increment in the duration. The opportunities the framework presented included: acting as a starting point to structure and implement interprofessional education across various training institutions in Africa, advancing research, and networking opportunities to share the best practices. The main threat included siloed training where the current training curriculum of the students does not have opportunities that allow the students to study with, from, and about each other. CONCLUSIONS: The framework developed to guide the implementation of interprofessional education and collaborative practice during international electives is feasible and enabled students to achieve the interprofessional education and collaborative practice objectives set while appreciating the transcultural similarities and differences in another country.

National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education IPE core data set and information exchange for knowledge generation.

Since 2012, the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education has worked with over 70 sites implementing over 100 interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) programs in the United States (U.S.). Program leaders have contributed data and information to the National Center to inform an approach to advancing the science of interprofessional practice and education (IPE), called IPE Knowledge Generation. This paper describes how the evolution of IPE Knowledge Generation blends traditional research and evaluation approaches with the burgeoning field of health informatics and big data science. The goal of IPE Knowledge Generation is to promote collaboration and knowledge discovery among IPE program leaders who collect comparable, sharable data in an information exchange. This data collection then supports analysis and knowledge generation. To enable the approach, the National Center uses a structured process for guiding IPE program design and implementation in practice settings focused on learning and the Quadruple Aim outcomes while collecting the IPE core data set and the contribution of contemporary big data science.

Incorporating merged treatment procedures for children with autism: A case report.

We examined interprofessional collaboration in a pre-service training model which incorporated the merging of three treatments: Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Applied Behavior Analysis. We examined the effects of changes in the clinician interprofessional skill repertoire on therapeutic outcomes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Three licensed professionals modeled core techniques from their respective professions to establish benchmark standards for skill demonstration in the treatment of children with autism. Treatment phases were implemented sequentially targeting multiple therapist and child behaviors within a multiple-baseline across participants' single case experimental design. Therapist skills improved to show a diverse repertoire of intervention techniques to match supervisor proficiencies. These interprofessional skills were delivered simultaneously in a timely and efficient manner. Assessed outcomes for children with autism included increased frequency of verbalizations, engagement during adult-directed interactions, visual-motor task productivity, and improved postural alignment. The study suggests that integrated training across interprofessional techniques enhanced a diverse repertoire of clinician skills, while systematically demonstrating child improvement on many interprofessional treatment goals.

From uniprofessionality to interprofessionality: dual vs dueling identities in healthcare.

Healthcare systems are at times still viewed as siloed performances of single professions, wherein some groups hold hierarchical positions based on their expertise and prestige, rather than a collective functioning of interprofessional teams. Current policies, procedures, and regulations in healthcare education and practice seem to contribute to this context in which the various health and social care professions are set in opposition to one another. The historical, and still prominent, uniprofessional education and socialization practices position health and social care professions to view each as rivals and threats toward achieving their profession/al advancement and growth. The transformation from uniprofessionality to interprofessionality in healthcare requires the application of interprofessional socialization not just at the individual level, but also at the professional and system levels. In this process of interprofessional socialization, we need to embrace the uniqueness of each profession while cultivating an interprofessional collaboration culture in the system (dual identity). In so doing, we can facilitate a shifting mind-set, culture, operations, and policies in healthcare to recognize and foster the contribution and accountability of each profession toward achieving the quadruple aim of better care, better health, better value, and better work experience.

Interprofessional education and collaborative practice policies and law: an international review and reflective questions.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare is a complex sociolegal setting due to the number of policymakers, levels of governance and importance of policy interdependence. As a desirable care approach, collaborative practice (referred to as interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP)) is influenced by this complex policy environment from the beginning of professionals' education to their initiation of practice in healthcare settings. MAIN BODY: Although data are available on the influence of policy and law on IPECP, published articles have tended to focus on a single aspect of policy or law, leading to the development of an interesting but incomplete picture. Through the use of two conceptual models and real-world examples, this review article allows IPECP promoters to identify policy issues that must be addressed to foster IPECP. Using a global approach, this article aims to foster reflection among promoters and stakeholders of IPECP on the global policy and law environment that influences IPECP implementation. CONCLUSION: IPECP champions and stakeholders should be aware of the global policy and legal environment influencing the behaviors of healthcare workers to ensure the success of IPECP implementation.

A longitudinal survey on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interprofessional education and collaborative practice: a study protocol.

Since the World Health Organisation declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in early March 2020, the virus has been linked with serious illness, death, and social disruption around the world. The scope of the outbreak is rapidly evolving and ever changing. Many countries, cities and towns declared major closures and issued shelter-in-place orders. While phased re-opening is now occuring in many countries, the impact of the pandemic has been unprecedented. It is widely accepted that healthcare education and practice, including interprofessional education and collaborative practice, has been and will continue to be affected in profound ways. However, the severity and extent of the impact is yet to be determined and is likely to vary internationally. The study protocol reported here is a first attempt to systematically capture observations, experiences, and reflections globally with a view to identifying priorities for interprofessional education and collaborative practice research and development in the years to come, as well as inform future pandemic preparedness.

Using reflective practice in interprofessional education and practice: a realist review of its characteristics and effectiveness.

This article presents the results of a realist review of the use of reflective practice interventions aimed at improving interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP). Reflective practice is recognized as one of the determining factors in health and social service professionals' skills development and maintenance, as well as in the establishment of good collaboration practices. In this respect, it is a key element of interprofessional education (IPE) and its relevance in this field is being asserted more and more strongly. However, few studies have been conducted to document its effectiveness. The purpose of this article is therefore to advance knowledge in this field. Searches in health and social services electronic databases identified six studies presenting reflective practice interventions in IPECP aimed at enhancing collaboration among students or practicing professionals. Analysis provided preliminary answers as to the effectiveness of reflective practice interventions in IPECP, as well as pertinent information on the best methods for achieving effectiveness. It concludes by proposing recommendations designed to change reflective practice interventions in IPECP and by stressing the importance of further research in order to document more fully the effectiveness of reflective practice in IPECP and to identify the most promising intervention methods in this regard.

Flexner 3.0-Democratization of Medical Knowledge for the 21st Century: Teaching Medical Science Using K-12 General Pathology as a Gateway Course.

A medical school general pathology course has been reformatted into a K-12 general pathology course. This new course has been implemented at a series of 7 to 12 grade levels and the student outcomes compared. Typically, topics covered mirrored those in a medical school general pathology course serving as an introduction to the mechanisms of diseases. Assessment of student performance was based on their score on a multiple-choice final examination modeled after an examination given to medical students. Two Tucson area schools, in a charter school network, participated in the study. Statistical analysis of examination performances showed that there were no significant differences as a function of school (F = 0.258, P = .6128), with students at school A having an average test scores of 87.03 (standard deviation = 8.99) and school B 86.00 (standard deviation = 8.18; F = 0.258, P = .6128). Analysis of variance was also conducted on the test scores as a function of gender and class grade. There were no significant differences as a function of gender (F = 0.608, P = .4382), with females having an average score of 87.18 (standard deviation = 7.24) and males 85.61 (standard deviation = 9.85). There were also no significant differences as a function of grade level (F = 0.627, P = .6003), with 7th graders having an average of 85.10 (standard deviation = 8.90), 8th graders 86.00 (standard deviation = 9.95), 9th graders 89.67 (standard deviation = 5.52), and 12th graders 86.90 (standard deviation = 7.52). The results demonstrated that middle and upper school students performed equally well in K-12 general pathology. Student course evaluations showed that the course met the student's expectations. One class voted K-12 general pathology their "elective course-of-the-year."