What participants learn,with, from and about each other during inter-professional education encounters: A qualitative analysis

BackgroundSafe healthcare requires teamwork and collaboration. To meet the needs of healthcare organizations and professionals, inter-professional education, is no longer an optional educational trend but rather a mandate of accrediting health education agencies.ObjectiveIn an effort to better understand the impact of inter- professional educational activities, this study sought to explore via qualitative methods what nursing and medical students learn with, from, and about one another during a week - long simulation-based inter-profession education course.DesignA convenience sample of post-course survey responses from students participating in a week-long, inter-professional, simulation-based patient safety course was used to longitudinally explore what participants learn with, from, and about each other.SettingsThe setting for this study was a research university located in the southeast United States.ParticipantsThe participants included a total of 272 second semester accelerated option Bachelor of Nursing students and 599 medical students entering the 3rd year of their program that participated in an annual patient safety course. The study analyzed responses of students to questions in a post-course survey regarding educational outcomes while learning with students from a different profession.ResultsIn the responses from 871 students collected over four years, the following key themes emerged. Students: 1) articulated learning the importance of contributions of other professions to the healthcare team, 2) expressed an appreciation for areas where their colleagues' training was superior to their own; and 3) identified deficiencies in their own knowledge and skill sets.ConclusionThe findings of this study provide a basis for developing more specific curricular content as part of inter-professional education endeavors to strengthen constructive views of healthcare professions, foster a more collaborative shared mental model, and to correct perceived misconceptions.     

Medical cannabis education among healthcare trainees: A scoping review

ObjectivesIt has been previously demonstrated that healthcare professionals would like additional education on medical cannabis. However, there has not yet been a review of the status of medical cannabis curriculum for medical and allied healthcare trainees worldwide, even though future healthcare workers will be placed on the forefront of patient care and must be prepared to counsel patients. This study was designed to address this gap in knowledge.DesignA search syntax was generated and databases PubMed, ERIC, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles. A grey literature search of Google Scholar, MedEd, Medline, and the Proquest Dissertations and Theses section was also performed. All titles and abstracts were screened. Selected articles were subsequently screened using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultsAllied healthcare trainees lacked sufficient knowledge about medical cannabis and did not feel prepared to counsel patients on this subject. Additionally, they expressed a growing interest in medical cannabis and would like more standardized education on the topic. Finally, faculty and deans in various institutions agreed on the need to educate students on the subject, and aimed to implement courses on medical cannabis or expand their existing curricula.ConclusionsWhile the medical cannabis landscape is developing, medical and allied health students are not properly educated and knowledgeable on this emerging field of clinical care. The findings suggest that the implementation of competencies-based curricula on medical cannabis is essential for medical and allied healthcare trainees to have the appropriate level of knowledge to counsel and educate their patients.     

Continuing professional education: Motivations and experiences of health and social care professional’s part-time study in higher education. A qualitative literature review

ObjectivesTo understand the motivations and experiences of health and social care professionals undertaking part-time, accredited, continuing professional education in higher education.DesignA review following systematic principles.Data sourcesSystematic searches for literature published between January 2000 and December 2015 using the databases: SCOPUS, Web of Science, Medline, PsychINFO, Social Policy and Practice and CINAHL.Review methodsStudies were included if they were published in the English language and were qualitative in design, focussing on the motivations and experiences of staff engaged in part-time, accredited, higher education study. Three reviewers appraised the quality of the selected studies.ResultsThirteen qualitative studies were identified for the review. Motivating factors for staff to engage in part-time, accredited, continuing professional development study included: personal and professional drivers, influence of workplace/management and funding and availability. Key themes in relation to how staff experienced study included: the demands of adjusting to the academic requirements of higher education study; the experience of juggling competing demands of study, work and family; and the presence or absence of support for part-time study in the personal and professional arenas.ConclusionsHealth and social care professionals experience a number of challenges when engaging in part-time, continuing professional education in higher education institutions. A significant challenge is the juggling of competing demands of study, work and family, and this may have a negative impact on learning. Research is needed to inform how higher education can address the specific learning needs of this population and develop pedagogic approaches that are both responsive to need and support of effective learning.     

A review of the literature to inform the development of a new model of global placement: the Global Learning Partnership

Primary Objective: To review literature to guide the design and implementation of an international and inter-professional ‘Global Learning Partnership’ (GLP). The aim of the GLP model is to create a shared learning opportunity between academics and students from Universitas 21 network with invited partner universities to address United Nations Sustainable Development Goal needs.

Design: Two literature reviews were conducted to inform and refine the design of the GLP model to support the acquisition of the desired learning opportunities. One literature review explored the efficacy of international field placements on developing cultural competence in medical and health science students. The second examined common elements of education programs and collaborative projects designed to facilitate inter-professional learning in students of medicine and allied health sciences.

Results: The literature reviews demonstrated that cultural awareness and cultural knowledge are enhanced through participation in cultural immersion programs. Secondly that inter-professional education assists in the development of collaborative practice competencies. However, there were few examples of inter-professional collaborations that included students and academics from the host countries as members of the collaborative learning model.

Conclusion: The design of the GLP model was informed and supported by the two literature reviews in the objective to develop a project around the fundamental concepts of engagement and sharing across universities and cultural contexts. Rigour has been applied to the design process to ensure the GLP model may build capacity through education, while capitalising on strengths of existing global health placements and inter-professional education. The inclusion of host-country students and academics in this international learning exchange is believed to be key to equitable opportunity and capacity building.     

Learning as doing: common goals and interests across management and education

joyce p. (2012) Journal of Nursing Management 20, 113–119
Learning as doing: common goals and interests across management and education Aim The aim of the present study was to evaluate approaches to learning of healthcare professionals in a postgraduate management programme. Background The study was carried out in a higher education institution. Methods  An evaluation research study of an inter-professional healthcare group was carried out with students (insider stakeholders), their lecturers and an external examiner (external stakeholders). All three perspectives are presented here. Data were collected by interview, document analysis and reflection. Results The present study focused on the domain of learning as doing, as a major theme of the study, drawing variances between nurses and other healthcare professionals. The study highlights the importance of exploring approaches to learning from a pluralistic stance. Conclusions There is a risk of adopting a narrow approach to education if management programmes are overly influenced by the immediate needs of application of knowledge to practice. Education is influenced by the needs of the students themselves in coming to the programme to acquire knowledge and skills for application to practice. Implications for nursing management Nurses undertaking management programmes need to be facilitated to cope with the conflicting demands of completing tasks on the job, engaging deeply with learning from these demands and becoming empowered to develop professionally and personally.     

Inter-professional nursing education and the roles of swift trust,interaction behaviors,and creativity: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey

BackgroundTechnological advances in medicine have generated an increase in the complexity of delivering quality medical care, which is a challenge to the healthcare system. Improving interdisciplinary teamwork among all healthcare staff is one approach to meeting these new challenges. Interdisciplinary teamwork can be improved through inter-professional teaching in nursing education, which provides instruction from at least two professions to teams of students from different specialties. Behaviors that foster collaboration and creativity in temporary organizations, such as teams, include swift trust, interactive behaviors, and team creativity. A better understanding of the relationships between these behaviors could help educators improve inter-professional education courses for nursing students.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted with 210 nursing students enrolled in inter-professional education courses with interdisciplinary teams that included design students. Three self-report questionnaires assessed nursing students' perceptions about swift trust, interactive behaviors, and creativity: 1) swift trust measured cognitive-based and affective-based domains; 2) interactive behaviors measured domains of constructive controversy, helping behaviors, and spontaneous communication; and 3) team creativity measured collaborative abilities. Scale scores range from 1 to 5; higher scores indicate more swift trust, better interactive behaviors, and greater team creativity. Analysis with Pearson's correlation coefficient and SPSS PROCESS macro was employed to test the mediating effects.FindingsCognitive-based swift trust was positively correlated with all three domains of interactive behaviors (p < .01); all domains of interactive behaviors were positively associated with team creativity (p < .01). Mediation models indicated that interactive behaviors mediated the relationship between cognitive-based swift trust and team creativity.DiscussionEnhancing cognitive-based swift trust and interactive behaviors in interdisciplinary education for nursing students could promote team creativity. Faculty involved in interdisciplinary education courses for nurses should encourage interactive behaviors, which could increase cognitive-based swift trust among nursing students and improve collaboration and creativity.     

An innovative interprofessional education model to engage community and nonclinical participants

Abstract

Many institutions and individuals are encouraging use of interprofessional educational models to prepare future health care professionals who can effectively address complex healthcare needs in a dynamic healthcare environment. This report describes a seven-step model to plan and implement university-based interprofessional healthcare education. The model is unique in that it incorporates faculty and students from both clinical and nonclinical professional programs, administrators, as well as community partners into the interprofessional healthcare education deliberation and implementation process. It also incorporates many guiding principles for planning and implementing interprofessional education discussed in the literature.     

The impact of ageing simulation education on healthcare professionals to promote person-centred care towards older people: A literature review

AimThis review aimed to explore the impact of ageing simulation for healthcare professional education to promote person-centred care towards older people.BackgroundAgeing simulation is an emerging educational approach to facilitate the learning of healthcare professionals on ageing and older people. However, there is limited evidence available exploring its use and impact on the person-centred care of older people.DesignAn integrative review approach was used.MethodsFour databases were searched from January 2010 to April 2020 including CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science and PsychINFO, 21 papers were identified and analysed.ResultsThree interrelating themes were identified to outline the findings across the reviewed studies: ageing simulation use (theme 1), characteristics (theme 2) and impact (theme 3). Results showed literature available on ageing simulation is varied, ranged in study quality and applied several ageing simulation iterations making comparisons across the studies difficult.ConclusionsDespite these challenges it was clear ageing simulation is a promising educational approach currently being used to promote person-centred care for older people in healthcare professionals. Ageing simulation successfully improved the ageing knowledge, empathy levels and attitudes towards older people of healthcare professionals.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes of interprofessional education for healthcare students from seven countries

AimThis study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the learning outcomes of the interprofessional education (IPE) model for healthcare students.BackgroundInterprofessional education (IPE) is an important teaching and learning model that involves two or more professions engaging or working together to improve the knowledge of healthcare students. However, the specific outcomes of IPE for healthcare students are unclear as only a few studies have reported them.DesignA meta-analysis was conducted to draw broad conclusions on the impact of IPE on healthcare students’ learning outcomes.MethodsThe CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant articles in the English language. To investigate the effectiveness of IPE, a pooled estimate of knowledge, readiness for and attitude toward interprofessional learning, and interprofessional competence were analyzed using a random effects model. The methodologies of the studies evaluated were assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials, version 2. Sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure the rigor of the findings. STATA 17 was used to perform the meta-analysis.ResultsEight studies were reviewed. IPE had a significant positive impact on healthcare students’ knowledge (Standardized Mean Difference [SMD]: 0.43; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.21–0.66). However, its impact on readiness for and attitude toward interprofessional learning and interprofessional competence was nonsignificant and needs further investigation.ConclusionIPE enables students to develop their knowledge of healthcare. This study provides evidence that IPE is a better strategy for enhancing healthcare students’ knowledge than traditional/discipline-specific teaching techniques.     

Development of an inter-professional screening instrument for cancer patients' education process

AimThe aim of this paper is to describe the development of an inter-professional screening instrument for cancer patients' cognitive resources, knowledge expectations and inter-professional collaboration within patient education.Design and methodsFour empirical datasets during 2012-2014 were analyzed in order to identify main categories, subcategories and items for inter-professional screening instrument.FindingsOur inter-professional screening instrument integrates the critical moments of cancer patient education and the knowledge expectation types obtained from patient datasets to assessment of patients' cognitive resources, knowledge expectations and comprehension; and intra; and inter-professional.     

An international exploration of blended learning use in pre-registration nursing and midwifery education

AimTo explore international experiences of using blended learning in preparing nursing and midwifery students for initial professional registration to inform future education policy.BackgroundThe global nursing and midwifery skills shortage and need for an expanded nursing workforce that is fit for contemporary care delivery is widely acknowledged. The immense pressure the profession was already under because of austerity, staff shortages and increasingly complex healthcare needs has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK is extending and evaluating the use of blended learning programmes for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students to help address these issues. This study sought to explore relevant nursing and midwifery experiences from outside the UK to help inform future health professional education policy here and elsewhere.DesignCross-sectional, sequential, mixed methods studyParticipants/settingsNursing/nurse education leaders from across International Council of Nurses regionsMethodsExploratory online survey (n = 32) and three follow-up case studies (March-May 2021). Participants’ knowledge and experiences of blended learning were examined along with any perceived benefits for workforce development and successful strategies for addressing the challenges blended learning presents in this context. Case studies were developed inductively from survey responses and follow up telephone calls to provide more detailed information about reported successes.ResultsParticipants reported flexibility, cost effectiveness, increased student/tutor and student/student communication and interaction as benefits of blended learning. Challenges included the design and use of interactive learning resources, appropriate preparation and support for staff and students, the potential of blended learning to exacerbate otherwise hidden disadvantage and the need for multi-stakeholder cost/benefit evaluation.ConclusionsBlended learning is used globally in the pre-registration education of nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. These results broadly mirror the literature regarding the benefits blended learning offers healthcare students, staff and organisations and the strategies employed to mitigate risk. As the deployment of blended learning nursing and midwifery programmes expands, further work is needed to address gaps in the current evidence base regarding the practice and impact of this approach. These concern adequate preparation and support of students and staff, ensuring access to appropriate equipment and connectivity, exploration of student perceptions that online learning is of lesser value and comprehensive multi-stakeholder, exploratory evaluation to uncover any hidden factors and impact.Tweetable abstractBlended learning plays an effective part in the education of pre-registration nursing and midwifery students to help tackle global workforce shortages, but further work is needed to address gaps in the current evidence base regarding the practice and impact of this approach.     

DVD-based stories of people with developmental disabilities as resources for inter-professional education

Purpose.?The use of DVD stories about people with developmental disabilities within inter-professional education (IPE) across healthcare disciplines was evaluated.

Methods.?First year healthcare students (n?==?241) from an IPE unit responded to an attitude scale before and after viewing and discussing a DVD portraying the life and healthcare needs of an adult with cerebral palsy; a third round of data collection occurred later. Qualitative data were obtained from four first year and six second year tutors who discussed student reactions to the DVD. Six first year and four second year students participated in focus groups following viewing of a second DVD, about a young girl with developmental disabilities and complex health needs.

Results.?ANOVA of the attitude scores did not show significant differences from pre- to post-viewing and discussion of the DVD, nor at a third round of data collection. Qualitative analysis revealed that the DVDs did cause students to shift assumptions, perceptions and understanding of the disabilities depicted, and to learn about their own and other professions.

Conclusions.?DVD scenarios of real people with developmental disabilities in real settings offer a means of providing IPE opportunities. The data also point to the need and directions for the development of a new attitudinal measure.     

The experiences and needs of healthcare professionals facing perinatal death: A scoping review

BackgroundGlobally, perinatal death is on a decline. However, its impact on the healthcare profession is huge. The existing literature focuses on examining perinatal death from parents’ perspectives and patient death from the perspectives of nurses and a few doctors in critical care, oncology, and neonatology in the West. Due to the unique setting of maternity units where death is not routinely anticipated, as well as distinctive socio-cultural views surrounding death, there is a need to comprehensively review literature examining the impact of perinatal death on the perspectives of healthcare professionals working in maternity units.ObjectivesTo examine available literature on the needs and experiences of healthcare professionals working in maternity units who have experienced perinatal death.DesignA scoping review of published and unpublished data.Data sourcesA systematic literature search from 1st January 1996 to 5th August 2016 was made in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute Library of Systematic Reviews, York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Open Grey, ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, and Mednar were reviewed for grey literature. A hand search of the reference lists of the included papers was performed.Review methodsBased on the pre-set inclusion criteria, 1519 articles were screened for their titles and abstracts. Eighty-five full-text papers were reviewed, resulting in 30 papers included for this review. The data were extracted and cross-checked between the reviewers. Any discrepancy between the authors’ views would be discussed with a third reviewer until consensus was reached. Thematic analysis was used to categorise the results into themes.ResultsTwo major themes emerged from the review: the experiences and needs of healthcare professionals. Six subthemes emerged from the experiences of healthcare professionals: 1) psychological impact, 2) physical impact, 3) positive feelings, 4) coping strategies, 5) personal factors influencing the experience, and 6) cultural factors influencing the experience. Three subthemes including 1) social support, 2) training and education, and 3) other needs explained the needs of healthcare professionals. Studies focusing on the experiences and needs of physicians were scarce.ConclusionsPerinatal death has a profound impact on the psychological and physical wellbeing of healthcare professionals. They have unmet needs that need to be addressed. Though they use internal and external resources to combat their stress, institutional support acknowledging their stress and their needs is essential. Culturally-sensitive education and training are needed to provide support to these professionals.     

Psychosocial issues need more attention in COPD self-management education

Abstract

Objective: To find out how regularly the contents of patient education regarded as essential for COPD patients’ self-management are provided by healthcare professionals in specialised healthcare (SHC) and primary healthcare (PHC) in Finland.

Design: A cross-sectional study based on an e-questionnaire with 42 items on the content of self-management education of COPD patients.

Setting: The study sample included all public SHC units with pulmonary outpatient clinics (n?=?29) and nine out of 160 health centres in Finland.

Subjects: 83 doctors and 162 nurses.

Main outcome measures: The respondents’ answers on how regularly they included the contents regarded as essential for COPD patients’ self-management in their education of COPD patients.

Results: COPD patients were educated regularly on medical issues regarding COPD treatment, such as smoking cessation, exercise and pharmacological treatment. However, issues vital for coping with the disease, such as psychological well-being, stress management or fatigue, were often ignored. Patient education in SHC seemed to be more systematic than education in PHC. The education provided by the asthma/COPD nurses (n?=?70) was more systematic than the education provided by the other nurses (n?=?84).

Conclusion: Healthcare professionals’ continuous education should cover not only the medical but also the psychosocial aspects of coping with COPD. The role of doctors and nurses should be considered to ensure that there is no gap in COPD patients’ education. Training asthma/COPD nurses and promoting specialised nurse-led asthma/COPD clinics in primary care could be beneficial while improving practices of patient education that enhance patients’ ability to cope with the disease.

• KEY POINTS

• Issues vital for coping with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), such as psychological well-being, stress and fatigue, are irregularly included in self-management education both in primary and specialised healthcare.

• Patient education provided by asthma/COPD nurses is more regular than patient education provided by other nurses.

• The distribution of work between doctors and nurses should be considered to ensure that there is no gap in COPD patients’ education.

     

Development of an international comorbidity education framework

ContextThe increasing number of people living with multiple chronic conditions in addition to an index condition has become an international healthcare priority. Health education curricula have been developed alongside single condition frameworks in health service policy and practice and need redesigning to incorporate optimal management of multiple conditions.AimOur aims were to evaluate current teaching and learning about comorbidity care amongst the global population of healthcare students from different disciplines and to develop an International Comorbidity Education Framework (ICEF) for incorporating comorbidity concepts into health education.MethodsWe surveyed nursing, medical and pharmacy students from England, India, Italy and Sweden to evaluate their understanding of comorbidity care. A list of core comorbidity content was constructed by an international group of higher education academics and clinicians from the same disciplines, by searching current curricula and analysing clinical frameworks and the student survey data. This list was used to develop the International Comorbidity Education Framework.ResultsThe survey sample consisted of 917 students from England (42%), India (48%), Italy (8%) and Sweden (2%). The majority of students across all disciplines said that they lacked knowledge, training and confidence in comorbidity care and were unable to identify specific teaching on comorbidities. All student groups wanted further comorbidity training. The health education institution representatives found no specific references to comorbidity in current health education curricula. Current clinical frameworks were used to develop an agreed list of core comorbidity content and hence an International Comorbidity Education Framework.ConclusionsBased on consultation with academics and clinicians and on student feedback we developed an International Comorbidity Education Framework to promote the integration of comorbidity concepts into current healthcare curricula.     

Perceptions and concerns about sustainable healthcare of nursing students trained in sustainability and health: A cohort study

AimTo describe nursing students' perceptions of sustainable health education in the nursing curriculum and their concerns about sustainable healthcare and the impact of climate change on nursing.BackgroundSustainable health education involves education on the impact of climate change on health and the impact of healthcare on the environment. The effectiveness of sustainable health education in improving attitudes, knowledge and skills in sustainable healthcare has been demonstrated. However, there is a need to study students' perceptions of this and their concerns about achieving sustainable healthcare from the use and disposal of healthcare resources.DesignA cohort study with an inductive content analysis of open-ended questions included in a survey.MethodsThe study was carried out with undergraduate nursing students throughout their four-year undergraduate academic program using scenario-based learning and augmented reality related to sustainability, climate change and health. As students were exposed to three educational interventions, they completed a survey of open-ended questions about their perceptions of their environmental sustainability training in the nursing curriculum, their concerns about the resources’ used in healthcare and their perceptions of the impact of climate change on the nursing profession.ResultsStudents identified content in the nursing degree program on climate change and health and hospital waste segregation. They also demanded more content on 'low environmental impact nursing care' when their clinical practice training increased. Students were concerned about the excessive and unnecessary use of materials in healthcare, especially in the post-pandemic period, the lack of environmental awareness of healthcare professionals and the lack of power to change the situation. They recognised the lack of proper waste segregation in healthcare settings, no recycling bins and little reuse of materials. They were also concerned about the polluting disposal of material. They perceived important impacts of climate change on nursing, such as patient care due to increased pollution-related diseases, including foetal malformations and new health care needs arising from weather conditions. Finally, students were concerned about the impact this will have on nursing care work and require 'nursing leadership in environmental awareness'.ConclusionsStudents demand more training in low environmental impact healthcare and innovative educational practices are effective in this regard. Appropriate Sustainable Healthcare Education can make future health professionals more environmentally aware and enable them to lead the shift towards climate-smart care.Tweetable abstractStudents demand more training in low environmental impact healthcare and perceive significant impacts of climate change on nursing.