Educational strategies for enhancing
IPL: Learning together, changing
together
Dr Barbara Parker
Trenna Albrecht, Jane Coffee, Sue Gilbert-Hunt, Dr
Sara Jones, Dr Geoff March, Dr Carmel Nottle,
Denise Ogilvie, Josephine To, Dr Julie Walters
• Educating Professionals • Creating and Applying Knowledge • Engaging our Communities
Teamwork
improves
patient outcomes
& work environments
of
health care providers
(Way et al. 2003, Learning and Teaching for Interprofessional
Practice Australia, 2009, Mann et al. 2010, Schroder et al. 2010)
Team training
50% in adverse outcomes
Mann (2006)
IPL communication tool
LOS in ICU 50%
Pronovost (2003)
Teamwork aligned attitudes
Post-op sepsis rates
Sexton (2006)
Teamwork system
clinical error rate (30.9% to 4.4%)
27% in nurse turnover
Morey (2002), DiMeglio (2005)
What does this mean for UG Health
students?
• Health disciplines: practical experience is critical
• Often discipline specific practice
• Rethink models of best practice: shortage of clinical training places, complexity
of contemporary practice and workforce constraints, accreditation reqs
• Simply merging healthcare professions from different backgrounds into a team
does not guarantee that they will have the knowledge, skills or attitude
necessary to work collaboratively to enhance patient care
(Miller et al. 1999)
• Given the multifaceted nature of IPL, need to further understand the processes
of learning and change which occur
(Mann et al. 2010; Schroder et al. 2012)
Division of Health Sciences
Profile
• Over 7,000 students
• Occupational therapy, physiotherapy,
medical radiation, podiatry, pharmacy,
nursing, midwifery, dietetics, exercise
physiology,
• 3,500 nursing & midwifery students
• State of the art on campus facilities
PBL simulated environment:
• Health service spans 3 levels
• Units: ED, critical care/surgical, medical,
palliative care, paediatric, antenatal/birthing
unit/post natal, home/nurse practice clinic
• Briefing/practice rooms, clean and dirty
areas
• Staffed by senior practicing nurses &
midwives
• Assistance of
key contacts
• Approval HOS,
Dean:Health &
Clinical Ed
• Groups of up
to 10
• Email to
students
within one
identified
course
• Detailed
information
sheet and
consent form
Criteria
• Students from
7 programs,
via existing
networks (IPL
Learning
Group)
Consent
Recruitment
Method
• Inclusion
Criteria:
• full-time
• internal student
• 18 years or older
• Exclusion
Criteria:
• external students
• younger than 18
years
• unable to attend
all workshop
sessions
Session structure
Week
1
Pre session
Post session
Introduction to study and
staff, orientation to PBLs &
Debrief
mannequin
Reflection on IPL and teamwork
Discussion re knowledge of
IPL & role of other health Reflection on own role in patient
professionals
care
Review of case
2
Review of Week 1
Debrief
Review of excerpts of
Week 1 video
Reflection on IPL and teamwork
Reflection on own role in patient
Plan for working as a team care
Session structure
Week
Pre session
Post session
Debrief
Review of Week 2
3
Review of excerpts of
Week 2 video
Plan for working as a team
Reflection on IPL and teamwork
Reflection on own role in patient
care
Discussion re knowledge of IPL &
role of other health professionals
Feedback on pilot study
Standardised patient
During the data collection sessions, the simulated patient:
• acted out the scenario,
• simulated attachments (i.e. oxygen mask, IV tubes, and wound moulage)
Data Analysis
Focus group data:
• analysed and then triangulated (combined)
• transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically
The researcher:
• Viewed each session tape to develop a thematic framework
• Quotes were lifted from their original context and re-arranged
under the newly-developed appropriate thematic content.
• The final stage involved determining the relationship between
quotes, and links between the data as a whole.
Findings
Preparation
Understanding roles
Support
• Valuable additional time in clinical practice prior to formal clinical
placements in health settings
• More information on the scenario before the workshop
• 3 weeks provided opportunity to review and improve practice
Preparation
Preparation
Findings
Understanding roles
•An opportunity to understand the role of
other health professionals
•An opportunity to practice how to work in a
team with other health professionals
Understanding roles
Understanding
roles
Understanding
roles
Findings
Support
•A lecturer or clinician from their discipline to discuss care and
assist in planning and implementation of care to the ‘patient’
•Another student from their own profession to collaborate
with and to discuss care and assist in planning and
implementation of care to the ‘patient’
•‘Time out’ from the scenario to liaise with a clinician or
another student from own discipline to discuss care and assist
in planning and implementation of care to the ‘patient’
Support
Incidental findings
 Flow on effect for staff with greater understanding of roles
 Job satisfaction and camaraderie
 What happens when I'm not here?
 Commitment to develop further IPL opportunities
 Expensive and requires considerable resources: staffing, space and
consumables
Summary
The Division of Health Sciences InterProfessional Learning Group was convened for
the purpose of determining practical IPL opportunities within the School of
Nursing and Midwifery PBLs for students across the division.
Since the group’s inception, active debate has ensued and opportunities identified
for continued improvement and integration of IPL within the health science
curriculum.
This pilot study was one such opportunity.
Small study & cannot generalise but students who had not been on placement
identified deficits and learnings in understanding of their role and others within
the healthcare team and in patient care.