Interprofessional Education: Current State in Psychology Training

Integrated Case Presentation Seminar: Bridging Parallel Fields to Improve Psychiatry and Psychology Learner Experience

Daily clinical practice of mental health professionals often requires interaction between providers from diverse training and professional backgrounds. Efforts to engage mental health trainees across disciplines are necessary and have had varied outcomes. The current study reviews the development and implementation of a monthly one-hour integrated case presentation seminar (ICPS) as part of independent psychology and psychiatry two-year fellowships at a Midwestern teaching hospital. The training integrated a semi-structured seminar to facilitate case presentation within a group setting. The focus of the seminar was to allow for exposure to conceptualization, diagnostic, and treatment strategies and skills, as well as science-based practice techniques for trainees. Learner survey results and the sustained offering of the seminar suggest the format and goals of the seminar are feasible and acceptable. Based on the current preliminary findings, similar training programs may find benefit in strategies to enhance integrated training opportunities for psychiatry and psychology trainees.

The integration of psychology and medicine: an empirical study of curriculum reform from the perspective of China

Under the background of new medicine, innovative reform of medical education is mushrooming in Mainland, China. New medicine advocates an innovative training mode supported by medicine + X discipline. In the present study, we made use of the advantages of medical colleges to reform the curriculum of applied psychology and constructed an innovative curriculum system by integrating medicine with psychology. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the innovative curriculum system on the curriculum satisfaction of applied psychology and investigate the key factors that impact students' curriculum satisfaction. The class of 2018-2022 college students from the Department of Applied Psychology who were under different course training systems were selected to complete the curriculum evaluation questionnaire to evaluate students' curriculum satisfaction. The results demonstrated that curriculum satisfaction of the innovative curriculum system was significantly higher than that the one prior to the curriculum reform (P < 0.001), curriculum design, and teaching effect are the significant predictors affecting curriculum satisfaction. The results of this research provide innovative ideas for curriculum reform in psychology and strategies for the integration and development of medicine and psychology.

Psychologists and Integrated Behavioral Health Simulation Training: A Survey of Medical Educators and Perspectives of Directors of Clinical Training

It is well established that the integration of behavioral healthcare into the medical home model improves patient outcomes, reduces costs, and increases resident learning. As academic health centers increasingly integrate behavioral healthcare, targeted training for interprofessional collaboration around behavioral healthcare is needed. Simulation educational approaches potentially can provide this training. Health service psychologists are well-poised to support this because of their specialized training in integrated healthcare. The present exploratory study aimed to evaluate existing simulation programs and develop recommendations for integrated behavioral health training and evaluation. Directors of ACGME accredited residency programs that are high utilizers of the medical home model (Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Medicine/Pediatrics, Family Medicine) as well as Psychiatry residencies and medical schools with membership in the Society for Simulation in Healthcare were recruited to complete a 26-item survey to assess program usage of psychologists as part of simulation training for integrated behavioral healthcare services. Of 79 participants who completed initial items describing their training program, only 32 programs completed the entire survey. While many academic health centers offered integrated team and behavioral health simulations, few utilized psychology faculty in design, implementation, and evaluation. Other behavioral health providers (psychiatrists, social workers) were often involved in medical school and pediatric residency simulations. Few institutions use standardized evaluation. Qualitative feedback and faculty-written questionnaires were often used to evaluate efficacy. Survey responses suggest that psychologists play limited roles in integrated behavioral healthcare simulation despite their expertise in interdisciplinary training, integrated behavioral healthcare, and program evaluation.

A qualitative exploration of interprofessional collaborative practice between genetic counselors and mental health providers

Genetic counselors (GCs) typically provide short-term counseling and assess patient needs, including the need for ongoing psychosocial support. While some patients may benefit from a referral to a mental health provider (MHP), previous research identified barriers to this process due to patient characteristics, the GC work environment, and MHP availability. Adoption of interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), a model where multiple healthcare professionals from diverse training disciplines collaborate to deliver patient care, may mitigate these barriers. Evidence suggests that IPCP both increases patient satisfaction and reduces healthcare spending. Anecdotal evidence suggests that GCs and MHPs may use IPCP in select institutions, but there is limited research examining these relationships. This study aims to characterize the benefits, barriers, and limitations of current IPCP practice between GCs and MHPs. Six semi-structured interviews with GCs and MHPs were completed and analyzed thematically. Four themes emerged: (1) mental health concerns in GC sessions and GC scope of practice; (2) establishing and maintaining IPCP between GCs and MHPs; (3) benefits, barriers, and limitations of IPCP; and (4) next steps to develop future IPCP. The findings suggest that there are varying approaches to IPCP that are influenced by perceptions of provider scope of practice. IPCP may mitigate some previously described referral barriers related to logistics, and the availability of trusted MHPs with knowledge of a GCs specialty, thereby improving patient and provider satisfaction.

Breaking Silos to Address Medical Trauma: The Need for Integration of Trauma and Health Psychology Training

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic injury is a significant public health concern impacting approximately a third of traumatically injured patients. In 2018, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma recommended implementation of PTSD screening and brief intervention in level 1 trauma centers to meet the mental health needs of this underserved population. In March 2022, ACS revised its standards to include a requirement for mental health screening and referral process in level 1 and level 2 trauma centers. However, implementation of these programs has been limited. One barrier to implementation has been the lack of cross-trained trauma and health psychologists to support the development and implementation of trauma-focused programs in acute and critical care settings. This paper is a call to action to bring together experts in the fields of trauma and health psychology to effectively address training gaps in post-injury PTSD and medical traumatic stress. Through development of trauma and health psychology cross-training models, the field of psychology can collaborate to meet the increasing demand for trauma-focused psychologists in acute and critical care settings.

Professional competence development through interprofessional simulation-based learning assists perioperative nurses in postgraduation acute clinical practice situations: A qualitative study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore recently graduated perioperative nurses' experiences of interprofessional simulation-based learning during postgraduate education and investigate whether and how this learning approach contributed to the development of their professional competence in meeting acute clinical situations.

BACKGROUND

Perioperative nursing requires specialised education that offers professional development to ensure high-quality nursing care and patient safety in acute situations. Interprofessional simulation-based learning exposes students to acute situations in a safe environment without the risk of harming the patient, and it prepares postgraduate nursing students for clinical practice. Despite extensive research regarding simulation-based learning, there is a lack of knowledge on what impact such training has on perioperative nursing students after graduation.

DESIGN

An explorative qualitative design was used, and this study is reported in accordance with the COREQ guidelines.

METHOD

Between March 2019-November 2020, 16 perioperative nurses participated in semi-structured individual interviews three to five months after their graduation from five different educational institutions. During their postgraduate education, they had participated in interprofessional simulation-based learning that included acute clinical situations. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was applied to the data involving three steps: naïve reading, structural analysis and comprehensive understanding.

RESULTS

During the naïve reading, three themes emerged: competence in handling acute situations, competence in interprofessional teamwork and professional identity development.

CONCLUSION

Interprofessional simulation-based learning in perioperative nursing education developed relevant and important competence, including professional identity development, among perioperative nursing students. As recent graduates, their professional competence was transferred to clinical practice and developed further.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Findings indicate that interprofessional simulation-based learning is an important educational approach in perioperative nursing education. It is essential to use effective learning approaches to develop competencies that are transferable to clinical practice and improve perioperative nurses' performance as recent graduates. Therefore, interprofessional simulation-based learning should be implemented into perioperative nursing education.