564 - Impact of an Innovative IPEC Learning Activity on Medical Student Preparedness for IPEC Practice

Sunday, April 30, 2023

3:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

Poster Number: 564
Publication Number: 564.326

SAMRAT U. DAS, Duke University School of Medicine, DURHAM, NC, United States; Dana Clifton, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; CATHERINE P.. HART, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; Andrew Brown, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; Tracy Truong, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Samrat U. Das, MD (he/him/his)

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Duke University School of Medicine
DURHAM, North Carolina, United States

Background: Systematic literature reviews indicate better team functioning leads to improved patient safety and outcomes. First-year medical students at Duke University are exposed to Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) principles through Foundations of Learning in Interprofessional Practice workshops. However, they also need the opportunity to apply IPEC principles in a clinical environment. Our innovative learning activity provides the opportunity for medical students to apply IPEC principles during their pediatric clerkship.

Objective:

The goals of this activity are to expose students to the value of IPEC and improve understanding of the roles/responsibilities of other health care professionals. By the end of this activity, students will be able to articulate the value of engaging diverse professionals who complement one’s own professional expertise and describe the contributions of those professionals in the context of a specific patient.

Design/Methods:

During their pediatric clerkship, students select two patients for whom they are caring on the wards and identify additional health professionals who might contribute to these patients’ care. They observe selected health professionals and interview them to learn about their roles. Students then attend a debrief session to discuss insights gained with their peers.

Results:

A survey tool with validity evidence among medical students (NIPEAS)was used for pre- and post-surveys using a 5-point Likert scale to measure students’ attitudes on interprofessional collaboration. Preliminary data from the first cohort of 22 students demonstrated improvements in the domains of understanding their role within the health care team (3.9 pre vs 4.7 post), understanding roles of other healthcare professionals (3.7 vs 4.6), and ability to use terminology that is unique to other health care professionals (2.6 vs 4.2). Themes from debriefs included: preparation to interact interprofessionally helped foster collaboration and emphasis on the importance of engaging other professionals to ensure effective and thorough patient care.

Conclusion(s):

With application in the clinical environment, students appreciate the value of IPEC in bringing together unique perspectives and expertise to provide high quality, comprehensive care to patients. Other institutions can adapt this experiential learning-based curricular framework to train students to more practically apply IPEC principles. A potential barrier to adapting this activity to other clerkships and institutions is allocating the necessary time for this activity within already established curricula.