Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

Winter 1-20-2020

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to design an educational model that integrates the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Collaborative Practice Competency Domains into the curriculum across multiple disciplines. A faculty team from physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), medicine, and physician’s assistant (PA) programs, collaborated to create an introductory interprofessional education (IPE) framework and course module series. Currently, there are limited studies in rehabilitation education programs demonstrating the effectiveness of IPE-based activities on student outcomes. The proposed framework employs a series of novel educational activities including a multi-disciplinary escape room and scavenger hunt experience, chart review, and interprofessional (IP) simulation scenarios.

Description

The Introductory IPE-Series and framework was piloted on first-term students in PT and OT programs. An innovative IPE-based activity of a multi-disciplinary scavenger hunt and escape room experience was used at the start of the series. Multi-discipline teams identified various medical devices, tools, and equipment in a scavenger hunt and shared the use of these items in their specific discipline. The team then used letters from the scavenger hunt items to create secret passcode words that were embedded in the IPEC 2016 Panel report to complete an escape room challenge.

IP management was fostered through a team-based medical chart review of a complex patient. Multi-disciplinary student teams reviewed the chart and identified medical terminology, lab values, and patient-pertinent findings and the potential application and use of the items introduced in the first IPE activity during the scavenger hunt/escape room experience. IP collaboration among members was used to create a multi-discipline treatment plan to safely mobilize the patient.

The same complex patient scenario was used in simulation where students would implement the developed treatment plan, practice IP communication with other disciplines and the patient and family members and perform vital sign assessment. Challenges from the patient and family were scripted into the scenario to assess student knowledge of their own role and the role of other providers. A second simulation scenario was deployed toward the end of the term to challenge IP values and ethics in the health care setting and delivery environment.

Summary of Use

First-term PT and OT cohorts of 105 students participated in the pilot IPE framework and series. Pre-assessment using the IPEC Competency Self-Assessment Tool (Dow, Granados, Mazmanian, & Sheldon, 2014) was used to establish baseline measures in a first-term patient/client care management course. After completing the IPE-series, post-assessment of the same outcome measure was used as well as qualitative measures through post-course questions for student reflection on experiences and perspectives. Aggregated data was used to analyze student outcomes as a result of the IPE-series and framework.

Importance to Members

Interprofessional education (IPE) elicits better quality behaviors amongst team players promoting improved patient safety and patient outcomes (IPEC Panel, 2011). However, there is a gap in multi-disciplinary health-science academic and clinical education regarding the effects of IPE-based activities and the impact on educational effectiveness and tools to measure student performance (Sabus & Macauley, 2016).

The use of simulation in healthcare has been in use for many decades and even in the past centuries and have dated back to ancient times. Rehabilitation education programs are starting to integrate this effective educational methodology and finding practical application for health-science students. IPE has been established as a key criterion and is a permanent fixture in educational content today.

The literature supports the data from this study and reinforces the need to advance the area of simulation research to foster collaboration, learning, and IPE among healthcare students. Guidance and recommendations from the current literature provides a strong foundation to further pursuits in this emerging aspect of education and best practices for health-sciences.

Comments

Panel presentation given at the Society for Simulation in Healthcare International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) on January 20, 2020, in San Diego, CA.

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