Students’ self-perceptions of interprofessional education following participation on a diagnostic team for autism spectrum disorder

Health professionals' education related to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are among the most underserved in an inequitable healthcare system.

METHODS

Using Arksey and O'Malley's methodology and a social determinants of health framework, we conducted a scoping review of literature on the state of practice in education of healthcare professionals in the health and healthcare needs of this population.

RESULTS

Searches found 4948 articles, with 182 included in the final review. Themes identified included gaps of not being informed by workforce needs, continued use of the medical model of care, not addressing intersectionality with racial/ethnic and other discriminations, and lack of involvement of the population in developing/evaluating programs and promising trends of development of competency-based interprofessional programs with experiential learning.

CONCLUSION

We provide recommendations for best practices in a concerted effort to educate a healthcare workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills to address the health needs of this population.

The Interprofessional Care Access Network (I-CAN): achieving client health outcomes by addressing social determinants in the community

Four health professions schools at an academic health science university and a partner state university collaborated to develop the Interprofessional Care Access Network (I-CAN), a model of healthcare delivery and interprofessional education that addresses the Triple Aims for vulnerable populations in three underserved neighborhoods. Program goals were achieved through community-based partnerships and the development of a health-care workforce prepared for competent practice in emerging models of care. In the first three years, almost 600 nursing, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy students worked with clients referred from community partners, providing interprofessional care coordination addressing life instability and social determinants of health. The evaluation has demonstrated substantial improvement of health-related outcomes for clients who began in the first three years of the program and specifically those who completed intake and follow-up documentation (N = 38). There were substantial reductions in the aggregate number of emergency department visits, emergency medical service calls, and hospitalizations when compared to the 6 months prior to starting I-CAN. Estimated cost savings for the 38 clients, based on minimal estimated costs for these indicators alone, were over $224,000. A three-year qualitative review of client progress notes indicated that as a result of interprofessional student team interventions, many clients improved access to health insurance and primary care, and stabilized housing. Since the evaluation was completed, three programs have been added in rural and urban communities, demonstrating the model is scalable and replicable.

Interprofessional Education in Child and Adolescent Mental Health: A Scoping Review

To identify elements of effective interprofessional education (IPE) within child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), we conducted a scoping literature review. A search of four databases revealed 32 studies that met inclusion criteria describing IPE interventions regarding CAMH. Studies included a range of medical, mental health, allied health, educational, and community professionals in clinical, school-based, and community-based settings. The majority of studies have focused on autism or general child mental health. Outcomes were generally positive but skewed toward attitudinal and knowledge-based measures. Practice-based interventions tended to support higher levels of educational outcomes, including behavioral, patient-level, or systems-level changes.

Training Medical Professionals to Work with Patients with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review

Background: Patients with neurodevelopmental disorders are not always provided the quality of medical care they deserve. Medical personnel report limited preparation and education in caring for patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.  Aim: The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the research on medical personnel training programs, identify effective training methods, and provide directions for future application and research. Methods: Thirty-four studies met inclusion criteria. The studies were summarized in terms of training components, the medical personnel trained, and the effectiveness of the training in achieving target outcomes.  Results: Seventy-nine percent of studies demonstrated improvement in target outcomes. A variety of training components were used in combination throughout the studies, demonstrating a possibility of significant change to medical personnel's abilities for and attitudes about working with patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.  Conclusion: Further research is needed to determine specifically which types of training can affect which target outcomes.