An integrative systematic review of interprofessional education on diabetes

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) aims at enhancing the ability of healthcare professionals from different disciplines to work together effectively, improving the quality of patient care. An interprofessional approach is essential in diabetes management, but there is only limited evidence of the effects of diabetes-specific IPE. The aim of this integrative review is to gather all relevant recent data on the outcomes of IPE on diabetes management. The search in the CINAHL, Medline and PsycINFO databases resulted in 1136 potential studies. An inductive content analysis was used to synthesize the key findings of the 14 studies found to fulfill the inclusion criteria of the systematic review. Two main categories and four subcategories of findings were identified. Firstly, the achieved outcomes included individual gain (e.g., learner´s confidence and motivation to treat patients with diabetes) and external benefits (e.g., benefits for the patient). Secondly, the experiences of IPE included both challenges (e.g., competing interests of different professions) and strengths (e.g., practical approach to diabetes management). In conclusion, the findings indicate that both learners and patients with diabetes benefit from IPE on diabetes management. Educators are encouraged to adopt practical IP approaches in diabetes education. However, it is necessary to estimate the resources available. More research is needed on the cost-effectiveness, long-term effects, and patient perspective of IPE on diabetes management.

The tensions between micro-, meso- and macro-levels: physiotherapists’ views of their role towards fall prevention in the community – a qualitative study

“…Another important part of our findings is that the participants indicated a positive attitude towards interprofessional competences. The World Health Organisation [52] emphasises the importance of future healthcare workers' interprofessional competencies in optimising the skills of diverse team members, enhancing cooperation in case management and providing better healthcare for patients [53]. Interprofessional collaboration has been considered beneficial in health services for patients with chronic diseases [54].…”

Students' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration on the care of diabetes: A qualitative study of focus-group interviews

“…We presume that the broadened views of the students may stem from the clinical experiences during the course, where patients with variable case histories were encountered in a real healthcare environment, and were discussed afterwards in interprofessional seminars and group discussions. This supports the practical element in education, which was also seen as IPE's strength in a systematic review of IPE in diabetes management (Kangas et al, 2018). Furthermore, perhaps the newly included category Need of resources in the post-course data may derive from the practical experience, where the students' previously built vision of IPC was re-adjusted and re ned in a busy real-life health care context.…”

“…There is a growing need to prepare undergraduate health professionals for the interprofessional practices within the health care system, in order to strengthen their competencies and to improve the quality of patient care (Frenk et al, 2010;Interprofessional Education Collaborative, 2016;World Health Organization, 2010). Moreover, a collaborative approach is widely encouraged in the education and care of diabetes (International Diabetes Federation, 2017;Johnson & Carragher, 2018b;Kangas et al, 2018). The relevance of this study to evaluate perceptions roots from Bandura's social cognitive theory integrating personal, environmental and behavioral determinants in learning process, and the evidence that perceptions and attitudes guide behavior (Bandura, 1977b;Holland, Verplanken, & van Knippenberg, 2002; see also Kauffman & Mann, 2014).…”

“…) Our ndings are in several aspects similar to previous IPE outcomes, but some differences exist, as well. Systematic reviews have proved IPE, e.g., to increase knowledge of the roles of other professions (Kent & Keating, 2015;Thistlethwaite & Moran, 2010) and to enhance the learners' con dence and motivation in diabetes management (Kangas et al, 2018). Similarly, Yu and colleagues (2016) reported that an interprofessional, diabetes-focused outreach program of healthcare teams increased the participants' con dence in themselves and in other team members, and their appreciation of each other, but in contrast, did not affect their self-e cacy.…”

“…In a review of reviews, Reeves and colleagues (2017) con rmed a positive impact of IPE on the participating students' collaborative knowledge, skills, and attitudes, but only a minor effect on behaviors, collaborative practices and improvements in patient care. In diabetes management, several IPE programs have been implemented with positive results, such as improvement in students' knowledge and skills, con dence and motivation in treating patients with diabetes, and in teamwork competency (Kangas, Rintala, & Jaatinen, 2018). By contrast, IPE´s in uence on students' attitudes towards other disciplines has been more variable (Thistlethwaite, 2016), and also weak outcomes have been reported (Kent & Keating, 2015).…”