FINCA - a conceptual framework to improve interprofessional collaboration in health education and care

Implementing and Evaluating Interprofessional Education for Dental Students: A Narrative Review

Interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice are widely recognized for improving health care education and patient outcomes, especially in dentistry. Due to the strong link between oral and overall health, integrating IPE into dental curricula is essential for preparing practitioners to deliver collaborative, patient-centered care. A robust IPE curriculum for dental students requires well-defined learning outcomes aligned with other health professions and a focus on skills like patient care, communication, and teamwork. This review examines IPE curriculum design, implementation, and its impact on dental students, evaluating both short- and long-term effects on skills and career preparedness. By analyzing current IPE practices, this review seeks to illuminate effective strategies and future directions for integrating interprofessional collaboration into dental training.

Intervention skills - a neglected field of research in medical education and beyond

Intervention reasoning as a critical component of clinical reasoning has been understudied in medical education in contrast to the well-established field of diagnostic reasoning. This resonates in a lack of comprehensive understanding of the cognitive processes involved and a deficit in research to promote intervention skills in future clinicians. In this commentary, we present a conceptual framework for intervention reasoning that includes four phases: generating, selecting, implementing, and evaluating interventions. The conceptualization highlights cognitive processes such as developing interventions based on a patient's diagnosis and signs and symptoms; selecting the most appropriate option by contrasting, prioritizing, and evaluating interventions in terms of feasibility, effectiveness, and the patient's context-specific needs; and predicting patient outcomes within so-called "developmental corridors" to adjust treatments accordingly. In addition to these cognitive processes, interventions require collaborative activities, such as sharing information with other care providers, distributing roles among care teams, or acting together. Future research should validate the proposed framework, examine the impact of intervention reasoning on clinical outcomes, and identify effective training methods (e.g., simulation and AI-based approaches). In addition, it would be valuable to explore the transferability and generalizability of the model to other areas of health education and contexts outside of health education.

Development of the entrustable professional activity 'medication reconciliation' for clinical pharmacy

BACKGROUND

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are observable process descriptions of clinical work units. EPAs support learners and tutors in assessment within healthcare settings. For use amongst our pharmacy students as well as pre-registration pharmacists we wanted to develop and validate an EPA for use in a clinical pharmacy setting at LMU University Hospital.

METHODS

The development of the clinical pharmacy EPA followed a set pathway. A rapid literature review informed the first draft, an interprofessional consensus group consisting of pharmacists, nurses, and medical doctors refined this draft. The refined version was then validated via online survey utilising clinical pharmacists from Germany.

RESULTS

We designed, refined and validated an EPA regarding medication reconciliation for assessment of pharmacy students and trainees within the pharmacy department at LMU University Hospital in Munich. Along with the EPA description an associated checklist to support the entrustment decision was created. For validation an online survey with 27 clinical pharmacists from all over Germany was conducted. Quality testing with the EQual rubric showed a good EPA quality.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed the first clinical pharmacy EPA for use in a German context. Medication reconciliation is a suitable EPA candidate as it describes a clinical activity performed by pharmacists in many clinical settings. The newly developed and validated EPA 'Medication Reconciliation' will be used to assess pharmacy students and trainees.

Evaluating the impact of interprofessional training wards on patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes: a mixed-methods analysis

Introduction

Interprofessional teamwork is pivotal in modern healthcare, prompting the establishment of interprofessional training wards since 1996. While these wards serve as hubs for optimizing healthcare professional collaboration and communication, research into patient outcomes remains notably sparse and geographically limited, predominantly examining patient satisfaction and sparingly exploring other metrics like mortality or self-discharge rates. This study seeks to bridge this gap, comparing patient outcomes in interprofessional training wards and conventional wards under the hypothesis that the former offers no disadvantage to patient outcomes.

Materials and methods

We explored patient outcomes within an interprofessional student ward called A-STAR at a University Hospital from October 2019 to December 2022. Engaging with patients discharged between May 2021 and April 2022, we utilized digital and paper-based anonymous questionnaires, catering to patient preference, to gather pertinent data.

Results

Analysis of outcomes for 1,482 A-STAR (interprofessional student ward) and 5,752 conventional ward patients revealed noteworthy findings. A-STAR patients tended to be younger (59 vs. 61 years, p < 0.01) and more frequently male (73.5% vs. 70.4%, p = 0.025). Vital clinical outcomes, such as discharges against medical advice, complication-driven readmissions, and ICU transfers, were statistically similar between groups, as were mortality rates (1.2% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.468). A-STAR demonstrated high patient satisfaction, underscored by positive reflections on team competence, ward atmosphere, and responsiveness to concerns, emphasizing the value placed on interprofessional collaboration. Patient narratives commended team kindness, lucid explanations, and proactive involvement.

Discussion

This data collectively underscores the safety and reliability of patient care within training wards, affirming that patients can trust the care provided in these settings. Patients on the interprofessional ward demonstrated high satisfaction levels: 96.7% appreciated the atmosphere and conduct of ward rounds. In comparison, 98.3% were satisfied with the discussion and information about their treatment during their hospital stay.