To provide a community-based interprofessional education experience, we designed a pilot program centered on increasing digital health literacy among a group of older adults who served as Community Mentors (CM) to various health profession students. Digital literacy is the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources. Studies show less than half of individuals are connected through reliable technology to broadband and even those who are connected may lack the knowledge or skills to seek, find, understand and appraise accuracy of information. This is particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic when a significant amount of healthcare services shifted to telehealth to keep both patients and providers safe.
This program represents a new collaboration between our institution and a local community organization. Interprofessional (IP) teams of learners from across all health sciences colleges; a family medicine resident; and a CM worked together to identify, assess, and fill gaps in services and care by improving digital literacy skills - ultimately improving health and well-being while also teaching critical IP collaboration knowledge and skills. CMs received devices and broadband access, subscription to a digital health platform , personally tailored educational materials, and healthy aging online learning tools. Students provided linkage/referral to meet non-medical determinants of health needs. Teams met over three months and followed semi-structured visit-by-visit curriculum.
Evaluation of the pilot program showed that learners felt confident in their interprofessional skills. Additionally, learners and CMs both described many benefits of engaging in the program including the opportunity to learn from and with the CM throughout the project. CMs from our pilot program will go on to become ambassadors for the program and help in recruiting and spread of the program across the community. The Steering Committee is composed of IP faculty and staff with extensive practice and teaching experience.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the OICPD is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The OICPD maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change
