Early outcomes from a national Train-the-Trainer Interprofessional Team Development Program

The imperative need to train health professions faculty (educators and clinicians) to lead interprofessional education efforts and promote interprofessional team-based care is widely recognized. This need stems from a growing body of research that suggests collaboration improves patient safety and health outcomes. This short report provides an overview of a Train-the-Trainer Interprofessional Team Development Program (T3 Program) that equips faculty leaders with the skills to lead interprofessional education and interprofessional collaborative practice across the learning continuum. We also describe the history, approach, and early outcomes of this innovative program.

Measuring the Impact of the National Train-the-Trainer Interprofessional Team Development Program (T3-ITDP) on the Implementation of Interprofessional Education and Interprofessional Collaborative Practice

Background

In order to prepare current and future educators and clinicians to lead interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), faculty and staff need training in collaborative approaches to developing, implementing, assessing, and sustaining high quality IPE across the interprofessional learning continuum. The Train-the-Trainer Interprofessional Team Development Program (T3-ITDP) is a 3.5-day program designed to develop expert IPE teams through interactive workshops, coaching, and the development and implementation of an IPE or IPCP (IPECP) project for their home institutions.

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of the T3-ITDP on the development and implementation of IPECP projects by participating teams.

Methods

The T3-ITDP impact survey was created and administered to collect data on the scope and impact of participant teams' projects, including learner and project outcomes, training methods, dissemination plans, assessment strategies, and teams' intentions to continue working together beyond the initial project. With human subject's approval, we invited 55 T3-ITDP participant teams to complete the impact survey. These teams were at least one year post-completion of the in-person portion of the program and thus had time to initiate their IPECP projects.

Results

Forty-one (74.5%) teams responded to the survey. Of those teams, 31 (76%) used T3-ITDP content and/or approaches to develop their IPECP projects that targeted learners across the interprofessional learning continuum. Sustainability of IPECP projects was supported through several mechanisms, including institutional support or incorporating IPECP activities into existing courses. Almost half of the teams worked together on new projects, and 74% of teams planned to repeat a newly developed activity.

Discussion & Conclusions

Results of the T3-ITDP impact survey demonstrated that team-based, project-focused professional development catalyzed the development, implementation, and sustainment of new IPECP projects at academic and community institutions throughout the U.S.

The ASPIRE Model: Grounding the IPEC core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice within a foundational framework

Interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) are essential to achieving high-quality patient care. Leading IPE/ICP requires training in new knowledge and skills that most health professions faculty and clinicians lack. To guide this training, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) defined interprofessional collaboration through four core competencies: (a) Values/Ethics for Interprofessional Practice, (b) Roles/Responsibilities, (c) Interprofessional Communication, and (d) Teams and Teamwork. For IPE/ICP training to be effective, it is necessary to identify new educational models that provide an operational framework for these competencies. The University of Virginia (UVA) ASPIRE Model is a new paradigm for developing IPE/ICP educational experiences. It was created by mapping the IPEC competencies to three overlapping curricular content areas: (a) Practical Tools, (b) Leadership, and (c) Relational Factors. This model shows the relationship among the four IPEC core competencies and corresponding sub-competency statements and their inclusion in one or more of these three curricular content areas. The UVA ASPIRE Model was empirically tested as an approach to provide IPE/ICP training through "real-world" application for clinicians and faculty participating in an intensive team development program. Positive evaluations and improved capabilities of learners to apply their new knowledge and skills to solving real-world clinical challenges revealed that the UVA ASPIRE Model is an effective approach to embed the IPEC competencies in the design of IPE/ICP educational activities.

Effectiveness of an interprofessional workshop on pain management for medical and nursing students

Interprofessional (IP) care is critical for effective pain management, but evidence is lacking about the best way to teach pain management skills to medical and nursing students using IP strategies. In 2013 and 2014, 307 medical and 169 nursing students participated in an IP case-based pain management workshop. The aims of this study were to determine (1) if students who participate in IP case-based learning groups will have improved pain management skills compared to students who participate in uniprofessional case-based learning groups, and (2) if students mentored by faculty with IP training will have improved pain management skills compared to students who are not mentored by IP-trained faculty. Student learning was assessed and compared using scored checklists for each group's pain management plans. Findings show that IP mentorship and IP group participation improved medical students' pain management skills but did not have the same effect on nursing student performance. Continued work is needed to develop, refine, and integrate innovative and tailored IP strategies into the curricula of medical and nursing schools to advance the pain management competencies of students before they enter clinical practice.

Innovative interprofessional geriatric education for medical and nursing students: focus on transitions in care

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial in fostering effective collaboration and optimal team-based patient care, all of which improve patient care and outcomes. Appropriate interprofessional communication is especially important in geriatrics where patients are vulnerable to adverse effects across the care continuum. Transitions in geriatric care are complex, involving several disciplines and requiring careful coordination. As part of the University of Virginia's initiative on IPE, we developed and implemented an interprofessional geriatric education workshop for nursing and medical students with a focus on transitions in care.

METHODS

A total of 254 students (144 medical students, 107 nursing students and 3 unknown) participated in a 90-min interactive, case-based workshop. Nursing and medical faculty facilitated the monthly workshops with small groups of medical and nursing students over 1 year. Self-perceived competencies in IPE skills and attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork were measured through post-workshop surveys. Data were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics, excluding the three unknown students.

RESULTS

Over 90% of students were better able to describe the necessary interprofessional communication needed to develop a patient-centered care plan in transitioning patients between clinical sites. Four out of five students reported an enhanced appreciation of interprofessional teamwork. They were also able to identify legal, financial and social implications in transitions of care (75%). Nursing students consistently rated the workshop more highly than medical students across most domains (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Students improved and demonstrated their knowledge of interprofessional communication and teamwork skills required in transitions of geriatric care. Introducing these concepts in medical and nursing training may help in fostering effective interprofessional communication and collaboration.

An interprofessional workshop for students to improve communication and collaboration skills in end-of-life care

Interprofessional care is critical for patients at the end of life (EOL), but programs to teach communication skills to medical and nursing students are rare. The aims of this study were to determine whether an interprofessional workshop improves (1) student attitudes toward teamwork and (2) self-efficacy for communicating in difficult situations. Nursing and medical students attended a workshop with collaborative role play of an EOL conversation. Before the workshop, students showed different attitudes toward teamwork and collaboration and varying levels of confidence about communication skills. After the workshop, both groups reported more positive attitudes toward teamwork but a mixed picture of confidence in communication. Experiential interprofessional education workshops enhance perceptions about the benefits of teamwork, but further teaching and evaluation methods are needed to maximize the effectiveness.