Professional development in integrative health through an interprofessional online course in clinical settings.

BACKGROUND: Although there is mounting clinical and cost-effectiveness evidence supporting integrative healthcare (IH), a significant knowledge gap hinders widespread adoption by health professionals. INTERVENTION: Foundations in Integrative Health (FIH), a 32-h online competency-based interprofessional course to address this knowledge gap. METHODS: The course was pilot-tested by an interprofessional sample of providers in various clinical settings as professional and staff development. OUTCOME MEASURES: Prior to and following the course, participants completed an IH knowledge test, an IH self-efficacy self-assessment, and validated measures of burnout, wellness behaviors, and attitudes toward IH, interprofessional teams, and patient involvement. Evaluation surveys were administered following each unit and the course. RESULTS: Thirty-one percent of the participants (n = 214/690) completed the course. Pre/post course improvements were found in IH knowledge, IH self-efficacy, attitudes towards IH and interprofessional teams, and several wellness behaviors. The course was positively evaluated with 81% of the participants indicating interest in applying IH principles in their practice and 92% reported that the course enhanced their clinical experience. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the outcomes of a multi-site, online IH curriculum offered to a diverse group of health professionals in various clinical settings. This course may allow clinical settings to offer an interprofessional, IH curriculum even with limited on-site faculty expertise.

Introducing integrative primary health care to an interprofessional audience: Feasibility and impact of an asynchronous online course.

BACKGROUND: Although there is mounting clinical and cost-effectiveness evidence supporting integrative healthcare (IH), a significant knowledge gap hinders widespread adoption by primary care professionals. INTERVENTION: Based on IH competencies developed by an interprofessional team and a needs assessment, a 32-h online interprofessional IH course, Foundations in Integrative Health, was developed. Trainees learn to conduct an IH assessment and how patients are assessed and treated from the diverse professions in integrative primary care. METHODS: The course was pilot-tested with educational program trainees, faculty and clinical staff at graduate level primary care training programs (primary care residencies, nursing, pharmacy, public health, behavioral health, and licensed complementary and IH programs). OUTCOME MEASURES: Prior to and following the course, participants completed an IH knowledge test, an IH efficacy self-assessment, and validated measures of IH attitudes, interprofessional learning, provider empathy, patient involvement, resiliency, self-care, wellness behaviors, and wellbeing. Evaluation surveys were administered following each unit and the course. RESULTS: Almost one-half (n = 461/982, 47%) completed the course. Pre/post course improvements in IH knowledge, IH self-efficacy, IH attitudes, interprofessional learning, provider empathy, resiliency, self-care, several wellness behaviors, and wellbeing were observed. The course was positively evaluated with most (93%) indicating interest in applying IH principles and that the course enhanced their educational experience (92%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of a multi-site, online curriculum for introducing IH to a diverse group of primary care professionals. Primary care training programs have the ability to offer an interprofessional, IH curriculum with limited on-site faculty expertise.

Interprofessional Competencies in Integrative Primary Healthcare.

In October 2014, the National Center for Integrative Primary Healthcare (NCIPH) was launched as a collaboration between the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and the Academic Consortium for Integrative Health and Medicine and supported by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. A primary goal of the NCIPH is to develop a core set of integrative healthcare (IH) competencies and educational programs that will span the interprofessional primary care training and practice spectra and ultimately become a required part of primary care education. This article reports on the first phase of the NCIPH effort, which focused on the development of a shared set of competencies in IH for primary care disciplines. The process of development, refinement, and adoption of 10 "meta-competencies" through a collaborative process involving a diverse interprofessional team is described. Team members represent nursing, the primary care medicine professions, pharmacy, public health, acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropractic, nutrition, and behavioral medicine. Examples of the discipline-specific sub-competencies being developed within each of the participating professions are provided, along with initial results of an assessment of potential barriers and facilitators of adoption within each discipline. The competencies presented here will form the basis of a 45-hour online curriculum produced by the NCIPH for use in primary care training programs that will be piloted in a wide range of programs in early 2016 and then revised for wider use over the following year.

En octubre de 2014, se inauguró el Centro nacional de atención primaria integral de salud (National Center for Integrative Primary Healthcare, NCIPH) como una colaboración entre el Centro de medicina integral de la Universidad de Arizona y el Consorcio académico de salud y medicina integral, y fue subvencionado con fondos de la Administración de Recursos y Servicios de Salud. El objetivo principal del NCIPH es desarrollar un conjunto básico de competencias de asistencia sanitaria integral (SI) y programas educativos que abarquen los espectros de formación y práctica en atención primaria interprofesional y se integren en última instancia en la educación en atención primaria. Este artículo detalla la primera fase de la iniciativa del NCIPH, que se centra en el desarrollo de un conjunto de competencias compartidas en asistencia sanitaria integral para las disciplinas de atención primaria. Se describe un proceso de desarrollo, perfeccionamiento y adopción de 10 "metacompetencias" a través de un proceso de colaboración en el que participa un equipo interprofesional heterogéneo. Los miembros del equipo representan al personal de enfermería, las profesiones médicas de atención primaria, farmacia, salud pública, acupuntura, naturopatía, quiropráctica, nutrición y medicina de la conducta. Se ofrecen ejemplos de las subcompetencias específicas de cada disciplina en fase de desarrollo en cada una de las profesiones participantes, junto con los resultados iniciales de la evaluación de los posibles obstáculos y los facilitadores de la adopción dentro de cada disciplina. Las competencias que se presentan aquí constituirán la base de un plan de estudios en línea de 45 horas elaborado por el NCIPH para su uso en programas de formación en atención primaria que se pondrán a prueba a principios de 2016 y serán posteriormente revisados para la generalización de su uso el año siguiente.

Competencies for optimal practice in integrated environments: examining attributes of a consensus interprofessional practice document from the licensed integrative health disciplines.

INTRODUCTION: The Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC) is committed to advancing human health through the advancement and integration of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professions within the American healthcare system. This will involve the maturation and integration of the licensed CAM professions into conventional healthcare delivery, and in turn, it will involve the development of competency in integrative healthcare and interprofessional education within the CAM professions. METHOD AND RESULTS: In 2010, ACCAHC resolved to identify the competencies necessary for this transformation, and in the process, discovered a parallel process of competency development within conventional healthcare, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), representing the six major conventional healthcare professions. DISCUSSION: The ACCAHC competency document, its development, and its similarity to the IPEC document are discussed. The ACCAHC competency document identified two domains of competence that were not present in the IPEC document: evidence-informed practice and institutional healthcare practices. These two domains of competency are discussed with respect to their significance in both CAM and conventional healthcare practices. CONCLUSION: ACCAHC's goal is to foster collaboration among its member professions and with conventional healthcare professions, and to use these competency documents to improve and optimize healthcare delivery, practices, and outcomes in America. It is hoped that ACCAHC's competency document will catalyze interaction with IPEC leading to the adoption of a single shared competency document that will meet the needs of all healthcare providers and educators.