Interprofessional education and transitions of care: a simulated curriculum from preoperative to community care

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) provides an opportunity for healthcare professional learners to appreciate values and ethics, understand roles and responsibilities of other health professions, communicate with different groups, and work within teams. Poor exchange of information among care settings may lead to adverse events, high hospital readmission rates, and lower satisfaction of care. A transition of care IPE curriculum delivered throughout the semester was designed by interprofessional faculty members and delivered to eight health profession programs. Student learners participated in four events: preoperative care, acute care, home care, and one year later follow-up. Outcomes were measured from learners via two surveys. Faculty outcomes were collected via a one-hour focus group. Of the 80 learners from the eight health professions completing the curriculum, 67% responded to the survey. The majority of students strongly agreed that each of the curriculum events contributed to their learning of other professions. The event that received the highest satisfaction (84%) was the fourth or “wrap-up” event. Themes from student and faculty responses were consistently complementary to the program. Learners completing this curriculum focused on transitions of care agreed that the experience improved their knowledge of the aspects of the core competency domains from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative. The study appeared to demonstrate the importance of teamwork within and between care settings.