Auditing an organization's interprofessional learning and interprofessional practice: The interprofessional praxis audit framework (IPAF)

Abstract

Interprofessional learning (IPL) and interprofessional practice (IPP) are strategies for healthcare services' striving to improve patient care. While health professionals are enacting IPL and IPP, the capacity to understand and comprehensively map IPL and IPP activities has remained elusive. Additionally, understanding and accounting for the impact of organizational context and culture on IPL and IPP requires attention. This paper presents the "interprofessional praxis audit framework" (IPAF), which is a unique tool to address these two issues. The IPAF comprises five components: context, culture, conduct, attitudes and information. Conjoined, the components facilitate examination of an organization's enactment of IPL and IPP. Utilized within an action research methodology, the IPAF enables a synchronized inspection, whereby similarities and differences of the components are considered simultaneously, and the knowledge developed is used to promote change projects to improve patient care.

Undergraduate nursing students' performance in recognising and responding to sudden patient deterioration in high psychological fidelity simulated environments: An Australian multi-centre study

“…The conduct of healthcare education has come under the spotlight as both in nursing (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), 2011) and in medicine (Australian Medical Council, 2009) there is a requirement that students learn teamwork and collaborative practices as a prescription for competence. This arises from concerns and evidence that effective teamwork and collaboration between health professionals can improve patient safety (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2009; Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, 2010; Greenfield et al, 2011). Our study findings support that final year nursing students would benefit from teamwork practice in the simulated or real settings and that this should be instituted.…”

Exploring the importance of team psychological safety in the development of two interprofessional teams

“…Teams do not exist within a vacuum; they exist within particular organisational and institutional contexts and influences from outside the team space can impact on the development of TPS within the team space. There is a dearth of empirical evidence to link the characteristics of organisations and the development of interprofessional teamwork (Greenfield, Nugus, Travaglia & Braithwaite, 2010). The results of this study indicate that open communication and shared decision making is more difficult to achieve within teams embedded in hierarchical organisations where shared decision making is not an organisational norm.…”

Factors that shape the development of interprofessional improvement initiatives in health organisations

“…Evidence to accomplish the aim is drawn from a large-scale longitudinal study seeking to improve interprofessional practice (IPP) through increased interprofessional learning (IPL) 21 22. The setting is a politically autonomous jurisdiction providing healthcare to a population of nearly 500 000 people, encompassing three domains: a health service, incorporating 5000 managers, clinicians and policymakers; some 400 health academics in university settings; and 71 professional associations with an estimated 300 staff.…”

“…The setting is a politically autonomous jurisdiction providing healthcare to a population of nearly 500 000 people, encompassing three domains: a health service, incorporating 5000 managers, clinicians and policymakers; some 400 health academics in university settings; and 71 professional associations with an estimated 300 staff. A purpose-designed study protocol22 and research tool21 to engage participants have been developed for the longitudinal study. As detailed in the protocol, the longitudinal study is seeking to achieve improvements in communication, collaboration, professional relationships, team work and the integration of services 22.…”

“…The partners are using action research to drive a process of collaborative enquiry 23. That is, ideas from the literature were integrated into a research tool21 that was used with participants to stimulate examination of their individual or collaborative learning and practice behaviours, and improve them 24…”