Resource Center

The intensive care unit (ICU), where death is common and even survivors of an ICU stay face the risk of long-term morbidity and re-admissions to the ICU, represents an important setting for improving communication about palliative and end-of-life care. Communication about the goals of care in this setting should be a high priority since studies suggest that the current quality of ICU communication is often poor and is associated with psychological distress among family members of critically ill patients.

In this paper, the authors outline the rationale, planning, delivery, results, evaluation and knowledge transfer strategies employed in offering an eight-hour education day offered 12 times in 2010, to a total of 200 staff in three Toronto General Hospital (TGH) intensive care units (ICU) at the University Health Network (UHN). The integration of members from the point-of-care staff teams into the planning, development, presentation and attendance was a critical success factor for this initiative.

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the effect of a Crew Resource Management (CRM) intervention specifically designed to improve teamwork and communication skills in a multidisciplinary obstetrical setting.

METHOD:

The Shriners Hospitals for Children-Canada has developed an innovative Interprofessional Education Program to help tomorrow's healthcare professionals gain the skills and knowledge they need to work effectively in teams to provide efficient, collaborative and family-centred care. Undergraduate students in nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy participated in group discussions, seminars by staff members and group presentations.

BACKGROUND:

Active patient-based learning by working together at an interprofessional clinical education ward (CEW) increases collaborative and professional competence among students.

AIM:

To assess the patients' perceptions of collaborative and communicative aspects of care when treated by interprofessional student teams as compared to usual care.

METHOD:

BACKGROUND:

BACKGROUND: Very little research has been conducted in the area of depression among older home care clients using personal support services. These older adults are particularly vulnerable to depression because of decreased cognition, comorbid chronic conditions, functional limitations, lack of social support, and reduced access to health services. To date, research has focused on collaborative, nurse-led depression care programs among older adults in primary care settings. Optimal management of depression among older home care clients is not currently known.

Following completion of an interprofessional simulation program for rapid response and code blue events, we explored hospital unit nurses' perspectives of the training, through a mixed-methods analysis. The results of this study advocate for the use of simulation training in preparing nurses and promoting communication among team members, effective teamwork, and early recognition of clinically deteriorating patients. This study provides support for the implementation and continued use of simulation interprofessional programs in hospital settings.

Daily collaboration of senior doctors, residents and nurses involves a major potential for sharing knowledge between professionals. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid to informal learning to create strategies and appropriate conditions for enhancing and effectuating informal learning in the workplace. The aim of this study is to visualize and describe patterns of informal interprofessional learning relations among staff in complex care.

BACKGROUND: Good intercollegial communication is a relatively unstudied topic, although it is important for both health professionals and patients, contributing to enhanced well-being, self-awareness and integrity for health professionals, and positively affecting patient outcome and satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a communication skills training course would improve intercollegial communication in an orthopaedic department.