Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Longitudinal Interprofessional Education Project

BackgroundA collaborative, interprofessional approach is required to provide high-quality care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Health professional education is challenged to provide students opportunities to practice team-based care.PurposeThis longitudinal project embedded learning activities for interprofessional teams of students to experience collaborative practice and practice team-based care using simulation.MethodFaculty (N = 18) from nursing, medicine, pharmacy, social work, and dietetics created a series of interprofessional learning activities. Interprofessional teams of students (N = 81) conducted four simulated primary care visits with a standardized patient having multiple chronic conditions. Pre- and post- surveys measured students' perceptions of interprofessional practice, roles, and teamwork.DiscussionStudents engaged in shared, patient-centered care during the simulated clinic visits. Students' perceived understanding of interprofessional roles and responsibilities, ability to work in teams, and clinical reasoning significantly increased.ConclusionsThis project allowed health professions students to practice team-based care in a realistic but protected environment.