Social Network Theory in Interprofessional Education: Revealing Hidden Power

Bridging the Gap: Engaging Black Men in Lung Cancer Research Through Barbershop Collaboration

Health disparities persist among Black men, notably in the context of lung cancer and stress-related health outcomes. This study explores these disparities through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, citizen science, and social network theory, leveraging the expertise and trust of Black barbers as community leaders. The purpose is to understand the nuanced connections between stress and lung cancer in this demographic. Engaging 161 Black men across four Chicago neighborhoods, the study successfully collected hair samples and survey data, emphasizing the importance of culturally sensitive recruitment strategies. Findings highlight the effectiveness of the collaboration, showcasing the role of barbershops as community hubs for research. The study concludes by advocating for sustained partnerships with community leaders, emphasizing transparency in research communication, and promoting culturally grounded approaches to address health disparities and enhance research participation among underrepresented populations.

Beyond dyadic communication: Network of communication in inflammatory arthritis teams

OBJECTIVE

To explore how communication is perceived and care is negotiated amongst IA healthcare teams by drawing on the perspectives of each team member.

METHOD

This analysis drew on data from an ongoing three-year study exploring team-based IA care. We interviewed 11 participants including two men with IA and their family care providers and healthcare providers. We used a three-staged analytic process and integrated broad tenets of social network theory to understand the relational dimensions of team members experiences.

RESULT

Analysis revealed three themes regarding communication and care: (1) seeking/sharing information, (2) striving to coordinate unified care, and (3) providing patients a voice.

DISCUSSION

This study emphasizes the importance of understanding team dynamics beyond the dyad of patient and care provider. Negotiating power and decision-making in IA care is a dynamic process involving shifting levels of responsibility amongst a care team. Communication-based strategies that extend dyadic interactions may enhance teamwork and health outcomes in chronic conditions.

Interprofessional Identity in Health and Social Care: Analysis and Synthesis of the Assumptions and Conceptions in the Literature

Interprofessional identity (IPI) development is considered essential in reducing incongruency and improving interprofessional collaboration. However, noticeable differences in conceptualizations are being put forward in the literature, hindering interpretation of research findings and translation into practice. Therefore, a Concept Analysis and Critical Interpretative Synthesis of empirical research articles were conducted to explore the assumptions and conceptions of IPI. Independent literature screening by two researchers led to the inclusion and extraction of 39 out of 1334 articles. Through critical analysis, higher order themes were constructed and translated to a synthesizing argument and a conceptual framework depicting what constitutes IPI (attributes), the boundary conditions (antecedents) and the outcomes (consequences) of its development. The attributes refer to both IPI's structural properties and the core beliefs indicative of an interprofessional orientation. The antecedents inform us on the importance of IPI-fitting constructivist learning environments and intergroup leadership in enabling its development. This development may lead to several consequences with regard to professional wellbeing, team effectiveness and the quintuple aim. Given the educational orientation of this study, ways for facilitating and assessing the development of IPI among learners across the professional continuum have been proposed, although empirical research is needed to further validate links and mediating and moderating variables.

The ways social networks shape reflection on early significant clinical experiences in medical school

BACKGROUND

Medical curricula are increasingly providing opportunities to guide reflection for medical students. However, educational approaches are often limited to formalized classroom initiatives where reflection is prescriptive and measurable. There is paucity of literature that explores the personal ways students may experience authentic reflection outside of curricular time. The purpose of this study was to understand how social networks might shape dimensions of reflection.

METHODS

This study employed a qualitative social network analysis approach with a core sample of seven first year undergraduate medical students who described their relationships with 61 individuals in their networks. Data consisted of participant generated sociograms and individual semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

Many learners struggled to find significant ways to involve their social networks outside of medicine in their new educational experiences. It appeared that some medical students began in-grouping, becoming more socially exclusive. Interestingly, participants emphasized how curricular opportunities such as reflective portfolio sessions were useful for capturing a diversity of perspectives.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study is one of the first to characterize the social networks inside and outside of medical school that students utilize to discuss and reflect on early significant clinical experiences. Recent commentary in the literature has suggested reflection is diverse and personal in nature and our study offers empirical evidence to demonstrate this. Our insights emphasize the importance of moving from an instrumental approach to an authentic socially situated approach if we wish to cultivate reflective lifelong learning.

Creating space for leadership education in undergraduate medical education in Canada

The need for effective leadership by physicians is clear, yet the design/delivery of curricula, and assessment of leadership competencies, in Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) continues to need work. In reappraising their UGME assessment strategies, the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) invited position papers across diverse lenses, including the CanMEDS Intrinsic Roles. This article is foundational work derived from the report on leadership assessment to the MCC. Using Kern's Model of Curriculum development as a guide, we reviewed the landscape of Canadian UGME leadership education through an environmental scan of the published and grey literature, Canadian leadership frameworks and resources, and consultation with learner and faculty leadership. Leadership education across programs was highly variable and learners were often unaware of available opportunities. In response, we have suggested processes for curricular development, including strategies for key content, teaching and assessment, and program evaluation considerations. Leadership education cannot remain another checkbox on a list of UGME experiences. Such training necessitates focused attention and investment to foster ongoing identity formation toward becoming a good doctor.

Exploring implicit influences on interprofessional collaboration: a scoping review

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is fraught with multiple tensions. This is partly due to implicit biases within teams, which can reflect larger social, physical, organizational, and historical contexts. Such biases may influence communication, trust, and how collaboration is enacted within larger contexts. Despite the impact it has on teams, the influence of bias on IPC is relatively under-explored. Therefore, the authors conducted a scoping review on the influence of implicit biases within interprofessional teams. Using scoping review methodology, the authors searched several online databases. From 2792 articles, two reviewers independently conducted title/abstract screening, selecting 159 articles for full-text eligibility. From these, reviewers extracted, coded, and iteratively analyzed key data using a framework derived from socio-material theories. Authors found that many studies demonstrated how biases regarding dominance and expertise were internalized by team members, influencing collaboration in predominantly negative ways. Articles also described how team members dynamically adapted to such biases. Overall, there was a paucity of research that described material influences, often focusing on a single material element instead of the dynamic ways that humans and materials are known to interact and influence each other. In conclusion, implicit biases are relatively under-explored within IPC. The lack of research on material influences and the relationship among racial, age-related, and gender biases are critical gaps in the literature. Future research should consider the longitudinal and reciprocal nature of both positive and negative influences of bias on collaboration in diverse settings.

Learning in Faculty Development: The Role of Social Networks

PURPOSE

Faculty development is increasingly acknowledged as an important aspect of health professions education. Its conceptualization has evolved from an individual skills training activity to contemporary notions that draw on an organizational model. This organizational model recognizes relationships and networks as important mediators of knowledge mobilization. Although such conceptual advancements are critical, we lack empirical evidence and robust insights into how social networks function to shape learning in faculty development. The purpose of this study was to understand how informal professional social networks influence faculty development learning in the health professions.

METHOD

This study used a qualitative social network approach to explore how teaching faculty's relationships influenced their learning about teaching. The study was conducted in 2018 in an undergraduate course at a Canadian medical school. Eleven faculty participants were recruited, and 3 methods of data collection were employed: semistructured interviews, participant-drawn sociograms, and demographic questionnaires.

RESULTS

The social networks of faculty participants influenced their learning about teaching in the following 4 dimensions: enabling and mobilizing knowledge acquisition, shaping identity formation, expressing vulnerability, and scaffolding learning.

CONCLUSIONS

Faculty developers should consider faculty's degree of social embeddedness in their professional social networks, as our study suggests this may influence their learning about teaching. The findings align with recent calls to conceptually reorient faculty development in the health professions as a dynamic social enterprise.