Using simulation pedagogy to enhance teamwork and communication in the care of older adults: the ELDER project
The Expanded Learning and Dedication to Elders in the Region (ELDER) project addressed the needs of under-served older adults by educating health care providers in home health and long-term care facilities. Four agencies in a health professional shortage/medically underserved area participated. Focus groups were held to determine agency-specific educational needs. Curricula from the John A. Hartford Foundation were adapted to design unique curricula for each agency and level of personnel during the first 2 years.
Patient safety education: an exploration of student-driven contextual learning
Medical and nursing students organized a contextual interprofessional learning experience involving observation of surgical safety practices according to the parameters of the World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist. Students were oriented to patient safety principles, operating room (OR) protocol, and the WHO surgical safety checklist. One hundred thirty students participated in interprofessional OR visitations.
Innovations in applied health: evaluating a simulation-enhanced, interprofessional curriculum
BACKGROUND:
In response to current trends in healthcare education, teachers at the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences implemented a New Curriculum Model (NCM) in 2006, building a curriculum to better transition students from didactic to clinical education. Through the implementation of interprofessional education and simulated clinical scenarios, educators created a setting to develop, contextualize and apply students' skills before entry to the clinical environment.
AIMS:
Developing core interprofessional competencies for community rehabilitation practitioners: findings from an Australian study
This study aimed to determine the core competencies that underpin the practice of community rehabilitation (CR) practitioners working in a single state in Australia. Using a recursive and consultative methodology designed to build consensus, CR professionals, trainers, educators, and researchers developed a preliminary set of core interprofessional competencies that were considered essential to their practice.
Improved employment rates after multiprofessional cross-sector cooperation in vocational rehabilitation: a 6-year follow-up with comparison groups
The objective of this study was to better understand the long-term effects of an improved model for cooperation on employment between rehabilitation professionals in vocational rehabilitation (VR). To compare these effects with those associated with the traditional model of cooperation. The study featured a group of patients who participated in a developmental project. All of the patients had some degree of restricted work capacity, which was evidenced somatically as well as mentally/socially.
Medical students benefit from learning about patient safety in an interprofessional team
CONTEXT:
Safe clinical practice is inextricably linked to team-working. Delivering patient safety education interprofessionally heightens students' awareness of the importance of effective team-working for safe care and care delivery.
METHODS:
We conducted a comparative study using mixed-method analysis among medical students learning about patient safety, either uni- or interprofessionally, towards the end of their training. Emphasis is placed on the detailed analysis of qualitative data relating to student perceptions of the event before and afterwards.
An interprofessional course in bioethics: training for real-world dilemmas
Future health professionals are often educated with other students of their same discipline when, in practice, they will be working with professionals from other backgrounds to provide care for the patient. Complex issues of ethical concern are common to health professionals due to modern technology. This paper describes the evolution of an interprofessional bioethics course that had a unique combination of students and faculty. Innovative teaching methods were utilized and continuously refined based on student evaluations.
Identifying ethical issues from the perspective of the registered nurse
A review of the formal ethics consultations performed at a rural academic medical center during 2006 revealed that only 5 of 72 consultations were initiated by nurses. A descriptive exploratory convenience study used a 3-item survey to collect information from registered nurses who provide direct patient care at the rural academic medical center.
Linking health professional learners and health care workers on action-based improvement teams
BACKGROUND AND METHODS:
Medical students, nursing students, and other health care professionals in training were integrated with health care workers on interprofessional quality improvement (QI) teams at our academic health center. Teams received training in QI, accompanied by expert QI mentoring, with dual goals of increasing expertise in improvement while improving care.
RESULTS:
Evaluation of a strategy to improve undergraduate experience in obstetrics and gynaecology
CONTEXT:
Poor interprofessional relationships in maternity units have resulted in a number of suboptimal outcomes: students are reluctant to pursue careers in obstetrics and gynaecology (O & G); trainees feel bullied, and poor communication between professionals results in avoidable adverse events. Interprofessional learning has been advocated to improve interprofessional relationships, but recent interventions have not been successful at undergraduate level. This study aimed to address this issue locally and then to disseminate our lessons, successes and challenges.