Journal of Research in Interprofessional Practice and Education (JRIPE)
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Factors Affecting Interprofessional Collaboration when Communicating through the use of Information and Communication Technologies: A Literature Review
Get PDFAbstract Background Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly being used internationally as a cost-effective and efficient way to provide care for patients in rural and remote settings, often referred to as telemedicine. There have been various studies that have examined the effectiveness of telemedicine implementation on patient outcomes, and the factors that enable successful telemedicine program implementation. The purpose of this narrative literature review was to explore a different side of the issue, with the objective to examine the factors that affect interprofessional collaboration when communicating through the use of ICTs in telemedicine settings. Methods and Findings A total of 56 papers were included in this review. Using a narrative review design, analysis of the papers revealed several factors that act as facilitators and barriers to interprofessional collaboration when communicating through the use of ICTs. Facilitators included training and planning; ICT system supports; establishing good rapport and communication patterns; patient-centredness; willingness to adapt to and accept the technology; and key individuals providing leadership and administrative support. Barriers included technical issues; coordination and organizational challenges; and problematic relationships. Conclusions From the facilitators and barriers, recommendations have been compiled for stakeholders involved in telemedicine initiatives to consider on how to support interprofessional collaboration in telemedicine.  
Community service learning: an effective vehicle for interprofessional education
Get PDFBackground Health professions students have limited exposure to each other during education and training, yet there are many expectations for interaction in the workplace as part of functioning health care teams. We reasoned that providing students an opportunity to work together in a service learning project under faculty supervision would enhance student knowledge and appreciation of each other’s disciplines and give them a better understanding of working together. Methods and Findings Teams of students from four disciplines (medicine, nursing, dentistry, dental hygiene) worked as volunteers with a unique population of transitional homeless families to develop individualized health and wellness plans. Pre- and post-participation surveys were used to measure changes in student perceptions of working in multi-disciplinary teams, and focus groups were used to identify strengths and weaknesses of the project and future directions. Conclusions Results showed positive predispositions to working with each other which were further enhanced by collaborative, interprofessional experience. Students’ confidence in working together in multidisciplinary teams and understanding of the training and expertise of other professions increased after participation and changes were statistically significant. Interprofessional education and community service-based learning may be a powerful combination for demonstrating the value of clinical teamwork to health professions students
Bridging the Location Gap: Physician Perspectives of Physician - Pharmacist Collaboration in Patient Care (BRIDGE Phase II)
Get PDFBackground: To optimize patient outcomes, the patient-centred medical home model emphasizes comprehensive team-based care. Pharmacists are qualified to enhance appropriate medication use and help improve patient outcomes through provision of medication therapy management (MTM) services. To optimally provide MTM, pharmacists must effectively collaborate with physicians. This study explored factors that influence pharmacist-physician collaboration.Methods and Findings: A convenience sample of five physicians participated in semi-structured interviews and the resulting data were analyzed using qualitative methods. Transcripts of the interviews were independently coded for themes by two researchers. Five themes emerged: trustworthiness, role specification, relationship initiation, effects on practice, and professional awareness/expectations.Conclusions: Overall interviewees spoke positively about pharmacists; however, when discussing collaboration, they spoke almost exclusively about pharmacists within their clinic. Since most pharmacists practice outside of clinics, bridging the location gap is imperative for collaboration. In addition, physicians lacked an overall understanding of pharmacists’ training and clinical capacity. This may inhibit pharmacists from participating to their full professional capability within integrated healthcare teams. One approach to resolve this lack of physician understanding of pharmacists’ role and value may be to co-educate health professional students. Further research is needed to explore ways to improve interprofessional collaborative care
Interprofessional Collaboration in Addressing Diet as a Common Risk Factor: A Qualitative Study
Get PDFBackground: Unhealthy diet is a common risk factor threatening dental and general health. Conflicting dietary advice persists among different healthcare professions, despite some shared goals, causing mystification to patients and the public. This qualitative study aimed to understand the perspectives of dentists, physicians, and dietitians in targeting unhealthy diet as a common risk factor, their experiences and barriers in addressing conflicting dietary advice, and possible ways for improving cross-professional coordination.Methods and Findings: A purposive sample of 40 dentists, physicians, and dieticians was recruited from different service sectors and joined in semi-structured interviews, which were subjected to thematic content analysis. Participants supported the common risk factor approach and suggested improving cross-professional cooperation by maximizing potentials of multidisciplinary care, engaging auxiliary/allied staff, refining electronic systems, and incorporating cutting-edge communication technologies. Inconsistent dietary advice stemmed from different treatment focuses and lack of mutual understanding and well-followed guidelines. Inconsistencies can be resolved by striking a balance for the patient’s best interest, well-informing patients, respecting patients’ autonomy, acquiring cross-professional knowledge, and conforming to shared guidelines.Conclusions: Views solicited from three healthcare professions endorsed the importance of cross-professional partnership in preventing/managing dietrelated health problems. Educators, professional bodies, and administrators share the responsibility to dispel conflicting health messages and promote better practice in dietary counselling
Interprofessional Experiences at a Student-run Clinic: Who Participates and What Do They Learn?
Get PDFBackground: Student-run Clinics (SRCs) are student-driven, interprofessional community service-learning primary care initiatives in which students of different disciplines work collaboratively under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals. Despite their increasing prominence and promise as vehicles for interprofessional education, little is known about the characteristics of students or mentors who participate in these initiatives. Methods: A quality improvement review was conducted by members of an interprofessional, student-run clinic based on data collected in the first 3 years of clinic operation. Program records and anonymous feedback forms were examined for information regarding student and mentor characteristics (e.g., discipline, frequency of participation) and information regarding service provider satisfaction and recommendations. Findings: The STAR Clinic had low student retention with the majority of students attending only one clinic shift. There was also limited student and mentor diversity, with medicine and nursing most highly represented. Qualitative information highlighted areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Conclusions: Recruitment and retention of students and mentors should be a priority for SRCs. Efforts devoted to increasing interprofessional diversity would likely benefit clients and allow for a more holistic approach to person-centred care
The Current Status and Problems with the Implementation of Interprofessional Education in Japan.
Get PDFBackground: Although interprofessional education (IPE) has come to be considered essential in health and social care education programs, most IPE programs in Japan focus on clinical settings. However, following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, IPE programs are considered essential for community development, especially in disaster-affected areas. To identify key issues for the development of IPE, we aimed to clarify the current status of IPE programs and problems in their implementation using an original questionnaire. Methods and Findings: The targets were 865 undergraduate courses that qualify students to take national registered health/social care examinations. Effective responses were received from 284 targets. Of these 284 respondents, 103 respondents had already implemented an IPE program and 181 respondents had not. Among the 103 respondents who had already implemented an IPE program, we found a tendency to collaborate with partners in clinical settings or in social settings. Furthermore, respondents who had implemented or were planning to implement an IPE program had difficulty with ‘interdisciplinary and/or extramural collaboration’ and ‘educational factors’. Conclusions: These difficulties could be considered barriers to developing effective IPE programs for community-based collaboration between health and social care professionals. Future research should investigate more specific solutions to these problems
Improving Collaborative Practice to Address Offender Mental Health: Criminal Justice and Mental Health Service Professionals' Attitudes Toward Interagency Training, Current Training Needs, and Constraints
Get PDFBackground: Professionals from the mental health and criminal justice systems must collaborate effectively to address offender mental health, but interprofessional training is lacking. Pedagogical frameworks are required to support the development of training in this new area. To inform this framework, this article explores the readiness of professionals toward interprofessional training and demographic differences in these. It explores expectations of interprofessional training, perceived obstacles to collaborative working, interprofessional training needs, and challenges facing delivery.Methods and Findings: A concurrent mixed methods approach collected data from professionals attending a crossing boundaries interprofessional workshop. Data were collected through a combination of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire (N = 52), free text questions (N = 52), and focus groups (N = 6). Mental health and criminal justice professionals' attitude toward interprofessional learning were positive (M = 17.81; N = 43). They did not see their own service as insular (M= 4.02; N = 44) and reported strong person centredness (M = 6.07; N = 43). These findings suggest professionals are open to the introduction and implementation of future interprofessional training. There were no significant demographic differences in these attitudes.Conclusions: Professionals raised a range of generic curriculum and educator mechanisms in the development of future interprofessional training, suggesting the transfer of pedagogical frameworks from established interprofessional programs into this new arena is feasible. Context-specific factors, such as offender national policy agendas and the challenges of user involvement for mentally ill offenders, must be taken into account. Greater clarity on multi- versus interprofessional training is still required with this group of professionals
The Effects of Intraprofessional Collaborative Case Based Learning: A Cohort Study of Student Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant Perceptions of the Physical Therapist Role
Get PDFBackground: The changing nature and complex regulation of healthcare require the efficient use of resources, including the appropriate delegation and supervision of the physical therapist assistant (PTA). Knowledge of the scope of PTA practice introduced in the academic curriculum is mandated for entry-level practice. This study assessed the effect of a collaborative case-based educational intervention within the didactic curriculums of a physical therapy (PT) and PTA program on student knowledge of PTA scope of practice.Methods and Findings: A pre- and post-test research design was used. Students completed a validated survey exploring their perceptions of the PTA role before beginning the case study. The case study was a classroom assignment followed by instructional prompts requiring interactions between student cohorts three times over four weeks. Following case study completion, students completed the same survey. Independent and paired samples t-tests detected significant differences between and within groups (p < .05).Conclusions: Based on the results, the case-based instructional model was efficacious in teaching both student cohorts about the role of the PTA. The impact was greater on the accuracy of the PT students, but PTA students became less uncertain in their perceptions. The effect of the clinical learning environment should be investigated to determine the impact on student perception of PTA role delineation following didactic instruction
Observe, Coach, Assist, and Report: An Emerging Framework for Integrating Unregulated Healthcare Providers into Interdisciplinary Healthcare Teams
Get PDFBackground: Unregulated healthcare providers known as personal support workers (PSWs) provide the majority of home care services in Ontario, Canada. However, there is little direction to guide their activities as members of interdisciplinary healthcare teams. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the role of PSWs in interdisciplinary evidence-based stroke care.Methods and Findings: A concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design was used. Data sources included surveys (N = 270), chart audits (N = 234), interviews (N = 28), focus groups (N = 7), textbook review, an advisory committee (N = 14), and knowledge fairs (N = 112). PSWs can participate in team-based stroke care by observing vital information about clients in their homes, coaching clients to follow care plans, assisting to implement recommendations made by other healthcare providers, and reporting client progress, challenges, needs, and preferences to the healthcare team.Conclusions: The Observe, Coach, Assist, and Report (OCAR) themes have the potential to be used as a framework to guide improvements in intra-team communication, information sharing, and awareness of the PSW role, in order to support a more integrated home care experience for clients and families. Next steps include pilot testing the OCAR framework at the point of care in various settings to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration that is inclusive of PSWs
Collaborative Practice in Secondary Schools in the Promotion of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
Get PDFBackground: Among 12 to 17 year-olds, overweight and obesity rates have more than doubled in the past 25 years. In Quebec, the government initiatives that have been implemented to promote healthy behaviours among young people require the collaboration of many stakeholders. The objective of this study was to describe collaborative practice in secondary schools promoting healthy eating and physical activity.Methods and Findings: A descriptive multiple-case study was conducted in three Quebec secondary schools. The data collection methods consisted of a focus group, semi-structured individual interviews (21), observation of events involving collaboration among various school stakeholders (5), and document analysis (3). Qualitative analysis of intra-case and cross-case data carried out by more than one researcher helped identify emerging manifestations of collaborative practice.Conclusion: Committing to projects, accepting tasks, and consulting with colleagues are some of the actions identified in school-based activities promoting healthy lifestyles. This study sheds light on the importance of collaborative practice in the promotion of healthy lifestyles among young people in a school setting