Interdisciplinary research and interprofessional collaborative care in a memory clinic for rural and northern residents of western Canada: Unique training ground for clinical psychology graduate students

Abstract

In Canada, interprofessional education (IPE) and interdisciplinary health research initiatives are beginning to transform the academic health sciences, including graduate training programs for clinical psychologists. In response to mandates and directives from national health policy and research funding bodies, academic training programs are re-structuring course offerings, practicum training experiences, and research activities to better prepare students for their future roles within interdisciplinary research groups and collaborative patient-centred clinical teams. As an example of this transformative movement in IPE, described herein are the recent training initiatives in the Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan, and the role of clinical neuropsychology in an innovative interprofessional rural and remote memory clinic.

The Telehealth Satisfaction Scale: Reliability, Validity, and Satisfaction with Telehealth in a Rural Memory Clinic Population

“…We have previously reported on provider and patient-caregiver satisfaction with the use of telehealth in the clinic, 19 the reliability of cognitive assessments administered in-person and by telehealth, 20 and the development and evaluation of a telehealth videoconferenced support group for spouses of RRMC patients diagnosed with atypical early-onset dementias. 21 Details about the RRMC development and evaluation 22 and interdisciplinary approach 23 are reported elsewhere.…”

Evolution of a Community-Based Participatory Approach in a Rural and Remote Dementia Care Research Program

“…More information about the NET program and the RRMC is available elsewhere. [31][32][33][34] The RRMC study and several related projects followed a CBPR approach, a sample of which are described in more detail herein. "Community" is defined differently in each project.…”

Evaluation of Telehealth for Preclinic Assessment and Follow-Up in an Interprofessional Rural and Remote Memory Clinic

“…Limitations of these studies include small samples (10 -23 participants) and the fact that many were conducted in experimental rather than real-life settings. Other than from our own setting (e.g., Crossley, Morgan, Lanting, Dal Bello-Haas, & Kirk, 2008;Morgan et al, 2009), there are few reports of memory clinics specifically for rural residents, or the use of telehealth as a component of service delivery within a functional memory clinic. Although there is evidence that some aspects of cognitive functioning can be assessed via telehealth (McEachern, Kirk, Morgan, Crossley, & Henry, 2008), in-person assessment by an interprofessional team is typical of memory clinics (Lindesay, Marudkar, Diepen, & Wilcock, 2002) because it allows for a full hands-on assessment by all team members.…”