Overcoming barriers to interprofessional education in gerontology: the Interprofessional Curriculum for the Care of Older Adults

Abstract

A fragmented workforce consisting of multiple disciplines with varying levels of training and limited ability to work as a team often provides care to older adults. Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for preparing practitioners for the effective teamwork required for community-based, holistic, person-centered care of the older adults. Despite numerous programs and offerings to advance education and interdisciplinary patient care, there is an unmet need for geriatric IPE, especially as it relates to community-dwelling older adults and caregivers in medically underserved areas. A core group of university faculty from multiple disciplines received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program to collaborate with community-based providers from several Area Agencies on Aging in the creation and implementation of the Interprofessional Curriculum for the Care of Older Adults (iCCOA). This geriatric curriculum is interprofessional, comprehensive, and community-based. Learners include third-year nursing students, nurse practitioner students, third-year medical students, internal medicine and family medicine residents, master’s level social work students, third-year pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, third-year dental students, dental hygiene students, community-based organization professionals, practicing community organizers, and community health navigators. This article describes the efforts, successes, and challenges experienced with this endeavor, including securing funding, ensuring equal representation of the disciplines, adding new components to already crowded curricula, building curriculum on best practices, improving faculty expertise in IPE, managing logistics, and ensuring comprehensive evaluation. The results summarize the iCCOA components, as well as the interprofessional domains, knowledge, and competencies.

Addressing the Community‐Based Geriatric Healthcare Workforce Shortage by Leveraging the Potential of Interprofessional Teams

“…University faculty representing a variety of disciplines and community-based providers from Area Agencies on Aging have worked together to address the gaps in training and siloed workforce providing care to older adults through an Interprofessional Curriculum for the Care of Older Adults. 18 This training is community based 18 and serves to address the training gaps seen in the training curriculums for physicians, NPs, PAs, RNs, and many other providers who play a role in the care of older adults. 18 Learners of the curriculum represent the entire spectrum of current and future healthcare professionals including the following:…”

“…18 This training is community based 18 and serves to address the training gaps seen in the training curriculums for physicians, NPs, PAs, RNs, and many other providers who play a role in the care of older adults. 18 Learners of the curriculum represent the entire spectrum of current and future healthcare professionals including the following:…”

“…• Third-year nursing, medical, pharmacy, and dental students as well as master's level social work, dental hygienist, and nurse practitioner students • Residents in internal medicine, family medicine, and pharmacy • Law students, community-based organization professionals, practicing community organizers, and community health navigators 18 The curriculum addresses several knowledge domain areas essential to providing quality and effective care to older adults, including:…”

“…• Focusing on interprofessional collaborative practice and conducting physical assessment, care, and evaluation to address geriatric needs • Providing patient/family-centered care (assessment, care, and evaluation) that addresses the unique psychosocial, spiritual, social, and cultural context and needs of patients within practice areas • Reviewing and addressing environmental risks and taking those into consideration in the care of older adults • Providing disease management teaching and coaching to older adults, their caregivers, and families • Identifying and addressing ethical and legal issues impacting older adults, their caregivers, and families • Managing and negotiating health delivery systems to provide effective care transition guidance to older adults, their caregivers, and families • Communicating effectively with patients, families, and colleagues 18 The knowledge domains introduced in this learning model can be applied across all practitioners-physicians, nurses, social workers, and community workers-and can be used as a basis to enhance existing curriculum specific to each specialty, as it covers the unique needs and challenges related to older adults. The development of the domains, content, and methods were based on a review of numerous quality standards of care including the Geriatric Competency Grid, the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, standards of care for Geriatric Case Management, Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, National Quality Strategy's six priorities to focus efforts and accelerate meaningful change, and Partnership for Health in Aging Multidisciplinary Competencies in the Care of Older Adults at the Completion of Entry-Level Health Professional Degree.…”

Incentivising a career in older adult nursing: The views of student nurses

“…The World Health Organization (WHO, ) identified building workforce capacity and capability to respond to the needs of an ageing population as a key priority. Yet despite repeated warnings, countries have given very little attention to growing the healthcare workforce with the skills and competencies to deliver high‐quality care to older people (Goldberg et al, ; Naughton et al, ; Schapmire et al, ). Older adult nursing struggles to attract and retain new graduates and early‐career nurses to work in these services (Chenoweth, Jeon, Merlyn, & Brodaty, ; Howe et al, ; Kydd, Touhy, Newman, Fagerberg, & Engstrom, ).…”