Building Interprofessional Collaborative Team Competencies in the Virtual Learning World: Lessons Learned from a Pandemic

By the end of this seminar, learners will

1. gain knowledge of a multi-step method for designing a virtual interactive interprofessional education (IPE) event,
2. gain skills for creating a virtual IPE applying the multi-step method, and
3. gain skills and strategies for overcoming common barriers associated with implementing an IPE.

Teamwork competencies are inconsistently taught across the health professions, potentially causing a disconnect between education and practice. Attainment of interprofessional collaborative practice competencies requires purposeful education designed to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with good teamwork. Effective and innovative education can increase satisfaction working with teams clinically and improve the provider’s experience. Satisfied and well-prepared professionals can more effectively participate in interprofessional teams that are patient/family-centered. Interprofessional teams are linked to improved patient outcomes, improved patient experience, and reduced healthcare costs, thus addressing all elements of the quadruple aim.

Pandemic restrictions associated with COVID-19 changed the way education could be delivered, necessitating the need for interprofessional education (IPE) experiences that use a virtual format. Effective virtual IPE models are lacking in the literature. This seminar offers an example of a virtual IPE model used to teach a team-approach to geriatrics care that utilizes active learning methods, with scaffolding of experiences to build toward attainment, retention, and transfer of competency into practice.

This seminar will provide learners with the tools needed to plan their own IPE using our model, and working through solutions to common barriers that can interfere with successful implementation.

Seminar outline:

1. Introduction: Our education model

   1. Baseline measures of knowledge and attitude towards teamwork

   2. Asynchronous online didactic to establish common knowledge across disciplines.

   3. Synchronous virtual education: Large and small group exercise with learners participating in the live IPE event model components using Zoom breakout rooms.

      1. Multiple professions including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, nutrition/dietetics, counseling, physical, occupational and speech therapy.

      2. Review of salient points from the asynchronous didactic content to prepare learners for interprofessional interaction. (Interactive Polling)

      3. Introduction of case study based on real patient.

      4. Breakout into separate discipline huddles to review discipline-specific case details.

      5. Breakout for team simulations in interprofessional small groups to develop a plan of care while also engaging with a family member caregiver played by a student or standardized patient.

      6. Reflective debriefing in teams, and again with all groups combined to emphasize learning objectives. (Interactive polling)

2. Brainstorming of IPE ideas (Whiteboard, large group discussion). Ideas to develop an IPE action plan using this model, and identification of barriers for implementation in participant’s setting.

3. Small group discussions and application of the model. Based on overlapping ideas, break into small groups for further design development of IPE, and to troubleshoot common barriers. Groups will give verbal report back to the group for idea sharing. (Zoom breakout rooms).

4. Discussion of methods to measure IPE outcomes for advancement of interprofessional competencies and satisfaction.

5. Conclusion: Q&A time to finalize plans for going forward with designing and implementing a virtual IPE. (Interactive polling)