Prof Rakhshanda Rehman, Prof Emeritus,Dean Medical Education,CPSP Prof Emeritus,Dean Medical Education,CPSP. 17 th Health Science Research Symposium 27 th Feb,2014 at AKU, Karachi

DISCLOSURE I do not have relevant financial interest, arrangement or affiliation that would constitute a conflict of interest.

LEARNING OUTCOME Recognize the Opportunities and Challenges for higher education institutions to promote inter- professional non-communicable diseases teaching and learning.

Inter-professional Education (IPE): Students of two or more professions associated with health or social care, engaged in learning with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care. Inter-professional Learning (IPL): Any teaching and learning activity promoting collaborative practice. (Stone J, 2010)

Inter-professional Collaboration: Partnership between a team of health providers and a client in a participatory collaborative and coordinated approach to shared decision making around health and social issues. Inter-professional Collaborative Practice (ICP): A process which includes communication and decision making, enabling a synergistic influence of grouped knowledge and skills. IPC: three best practice models of IPE. Medical Education Online 2011,16:6035

Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) 47% of global burden. IPE and ICP – strengthened health systems improved health outcomes in NCD. IPE should be high priority for Higher Education Institutions. (WHO, 2010)

WHY IPE? WHY NOW?

Higher patient and community expectation. Aging of health workforce---shortage of 4.3 million globally. Increasing incidence of chronic illness and lifestyle diseases (NCD). Recurring theme of ineffective teamwork.

WHY IPE? WHY NOW? COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE improves: Access to and coordination of health services. Appropriate use of specialist clinical resources. Health outcomes for people with chronic diseases. Patient care and safety.

WHY IPE? WHY NOW? COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE decreases: Patient complications. Length of hospital stay. Tension and conflict among caregivers. Staff turnover. Hospital admissions. Clinical error rates. Mortality rates. Total treatment cost.

Working in Silos

CHALLENGES Legislation and regulation. Existence of multiple policies and rules. Competition between universities. A lack of understanding of the complexity of practice. Discipline based culture. Fee-for-service reimbursement model.

CHALLENGES A jam-packed curriculum and limited time frame for completing degree. Great number of students/different backgrounds. Logistical challenges. Ineffective communication. Lack of opportunities for regular and effective team meetings. Isolation and competition among team members.

CHALLENGES Difficulty in coordinating learning opportunities with other disciplines. Administrative support for IPE. Faculty members may have limited experience with IPE and IPP and little knowledge of other professions’ culture and practices. Establishing an IPE/IPL/IPP knowledge management system. Establishing an IPE/IPL/IPP knowledge management system.

OPPORTUNITIES Common platform in higher education institutions for training of different health professionals. Existing practice of curriculum development. Possibility to initiate assessment in the context of IPE.

OPPORTUNITIES Embedding IPP as a core component of health professional standards in PG and CPD programs, and where appropriate, in registration and accreditation processes. MHPE for inter-professional faculty development. Research. Using existing institutional IT facilities.

THE WAY FORWARD Reviewing existing IPE programs, what has been learnt and what can be adapted to existing or new IPE initiatives. Designing and implementing a nationally coordinated program of research that is responsive to local conditions and environment. Contributing to the development and implementation of a National IPE knowledge management strategy.

Health System Health workforce Planning & Policy-making Education System Implementation of Integrated Health workforce Strategies TAKE HOME MESSAGE