Interprofessional education in a primary care teaching clinic: findings from a study involving pharmacy and medical students

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) can be hindered by the lack of infrastructure required to support it. We developed a clinical IPE experience for medical and pharmacy students built upon an existing infrastructure. We created tools to orient students to IPE and had students participate in pharmacist-led and physician-led IPE clinics. Results from the surveys indicated that after participating in the IPE experience, there were no significant changes in attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork or attitudes toward different members of the healthcare team. Students found less value in tools outlining roles and responsibilities of team members, on-line modules about the other profession, and IPE group discussion. They placed more value on the actual clinical experience. Themes derived from analysis of open-ended survey questions reflected the value that students placed on interprofessional interaction in the setting of direct patient care.

Interprofessional education in primary health care for entry level students — A systematic literature review

“…Two of the three studies that reported no significant gains in teamwork included non-volunteer students, but in all three studies high baseline scores limited the potential for significant gains. Positive teamwork ratings measured in post-intervention only surveys were reported in several studies (Harris et al, 1998;O'Brien et al, 2013;Sicat et al, 2014). Florence et al (2007) reported significantly higher preparedness for interprofessional teamwork for those who had participated in interprofessional community placements compared to those who had not.…”

“…Where pre-post-tests were available, significant gains in teamwork were reported in four studies (Florence et al, 2007;Leeper et al, 2001;McNair et al, 2005;Neill et al, 2007) and no significant change in three others (Dubouloz et al, 2010;Kuder et al, 2001;Sicat et al, 2014). In meta-analysis, the standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were 0.62 (0.21, 1.04) in favour of post-test scores.…”

“…Interprofessional primary care was combined with additional educational activities in some programmes (Flinn et al, 2009;Florence et al, 2007;Matthews et al, 2012;O'Brien et al, 2013;Scott et al, 2005;Sicat et al, 2014). Students generally worked together in teams, either consulting a patient together, or in individual single discipline patient consultation followed by interdisciplinary team planning and discussion of findings.…”

Interprofessional education in a student-led emergency department: A realist evaluation

“…Moreover, interprofessional education (IPE), defined as a process where "two or more professions learn with, from and about each other in order to improve collaboration and the quality of care" (Barr, 2002., p6, footnote) is now part of the undergraduate curriculum for many different health care programmes (Art, De Roo, Willems, & De Maeseneer, 2008;Dando, d'Avray, Colman, Hoy, & Todd, 2012;Hamilton et al, 2008;Hylin, Nyholm, Mattiasson, & Ponzer, 2007;Jacobsen, Fink, Marcussen, Larsen, & Hansen, 2009;Moskowitz, Glasco, Johnson, & Wang, 2006;Reeves, Freeth, McCrorie, & Perry, 2002;Sicat, Huynh, Willett, Polich, & Mayer, 2014).…”

Evaluation of a Unique Interprofessional Education Program Involving Medical and Pharmacy Students

“…5,6 Many types of IPE activities have been described, including meet-and-greet opportunities, didactic instruction, joint courses, case studies, web-based discussions, community service learning, clinical placements, studentled clinics, interaction with simulated or standardized patients, team-based case conferences, in-home medication reviews, and joint Objective Structured Clinical Examinations. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Olson and Bialorcerkowski's systematic review of various interprofessional activities suggested that the outcomes of these events may be dependent upon the context in which they are delivered. 19 Specifically, the evidence in this review supports that, in general, IPE events appear to be effective.…”