Educating interprofessional learners for quality, safety and systems improvement

Abstract

Most health professionals in training, as well as those in practice, lack the knowledge and skills they need to play an effective role in systems improvement. Until very recently, these competencies were not included in formal (or informal) educational curricula. Interprofessional collaboration - another core competency needed for successful systems improvement - is also inadequately taught and learned. Achieving Competence Today (ACT) was designed as a new model for interprofessional education for quality, safety and health systems improvement. The core of ACT is a four-module active learning course during which learners from different disciplines work together to develop a Quality Improvement Project to address a quality or safety problem in their own practice system. In this paper we describe the ACT program and curriculum model, discuss our strategies for maximizing ACT's interprofessional potential, and make recommendations for the future.

A Quality Improvement Activity to Promote Interprofessional Collaboration Among Health Professions Students

“…8 Despite the need, there continues to be a lack of integration of QI theory and methods into the core curricula of most health professions programs; in part, due to a failure to see quality improvement as an educational priority of undergraduate health care programs, and because of a lack of expertise within health faculties. 3 Health care educators have also struggled to integrate interprofessional competencies into their curricula. In addition to attitudinal, cultural, and economic barriers, attempts to increase student awareness and experience with interprofessional competencies often represent a significant increase in faculty workload, with little recognition by administration of that workload.…”

“…4 Interprofessional collaboration is critical for the success of any QI initiative. 3 Not surprisingly, the ability to work together as members of an interprofessional team to continuously improve the system is considered a core competency of health care professionals. 6 Interprofessional competencies include being knowledgeable of the roles of other professions, understanding the constraints of one's own role, having good communication and negotiation skills, and having the ability to work with others effectively.…”

“…2 This knowledge should be acquired during their formative educational years. 3 A number of educational outcomes or QI competencies have been identified, with specific competencies associated with particular teaching methods. 4 QI competencies associated with lectures and seminar formats include the ability of the student to develop an aim, linking data to change, describing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, eliciting interprofessional input, and incorporating an interprofessional perspective.…”

Health care improvement and continuing interprofessional education: Continuing interprofessional development to improve patient outcomes

“…2,5,[10][11] Traditionally the individual has been viewed as the source of quality and safety and hence the focus of training to prevent and solve problems. 12 Most healthcare professionals lack the knowledge and skills to play an effective role in service improvement [13][14] and may see acquiring these skills as time spent on "organisational issues" not necessary to their work 12 although they are important competencies for a wide range of staff. [15][16][17] Professional education generally lacks a focus on key skills of improvement 15 although these have been well described.…”

“…45 It stimulates interprofessional conversations that promote collaboration as professionals come to understand and value each other"s experiences and perspectives in pursuit of their shared goal of providing the very best patient-focused care. 13 By providing a common language that transcends professional backgrounds and boundaries healthcare improvement offers a learning framework that can strengthen the mutual trust amongst individuals working together that is crucial to continuous improvement and effective practice. 11,35,[42][43] If we are to achieve the aim of building continuous improvement through everyday learning we must recognise the potential of improvement methodologies (eg plan-do-study-act [PDSA] cycles) 20,[45][46] to go beyond simply generating context specific service improvements.…”