180252 What's all the HIPE? A Healthcare Inter−Professional Education Experience for medical, nursing, occupational and physical therapy students

Monday, October 27, 2008: 10:30 AM

Reena R. Antony, MPH , Jefferson Center for InterProfessional Education, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Lauren Collins, MD , Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Christine Arenson, MD , Jefferson Center for InterProfessional Education, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Cecelia Borden, EdD, MSN, RN , Jefferson College of Health Professions - School of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Leigh Ann Hewston, PT, MEd , Jefferson College of Health Professions - Department of Physical Therapy, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Stephen B. Kern, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA , Jefferson College of Health Professions - Department of Occupational Therapy, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Molly Rose, RN, PhD , Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Education, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Susan Rattner, MD , Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Howard Rabinowitz, MD , Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
An innovative interdisciplinary chronic disease management curriculum was designed to bridge the gap of unmet needs in chronic illness care. The traditional “silo” approach to health professional training has a ripple effect in the health care setting. To address this issue in education, an interprofessional faculty group developed a two-year longitudinal chronic illness mentorship program for nursing, medical, occupational and physical therapy students (pharmacy and public health students will participate in Fall 2008) at an urban university.

Teams of either three or four students are linked with a Health Mentor, an individual living with chronic illness in the community. The interprofessional student team meets with their Health Mentor eight times over a two year period. Discussion topics include: Health Mentor's life history, health history, access to health care and system barriers, consumer expectations of health care providers, professionalism, polypharmacy and adverse drug reactions, self-management and patient education, safety and interdisciplinary plan of care. Team visits are followed by debriefing sessions, faculty-facilitated small groups and individual reflection papers. In Year 1, a total of 131 Health Mentors were recruited from physician practices, senior centers, retirement communities and community-based organizations. A total of 472 health professional students are participating in this community-based experience.

Feedback from small group faculty leaders and thematic analysis from the first student reflection papers revealed that students and mentors value interprofessional team learning, enjoy learning about the expertise of colleagues, and have developed an enhanced understanding of living with chronic illness by participating in this new curriculum.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify implications of interprofessional education for health professional students. 2. Identify the attitudinal changes of health professional students in regarding their perceptions of health among older adults living with chronic illness. 3. Develop strategies of how to implement a similar interprofessional chronic illness care education model within your institution.

Keywords: Chronic Illness, Health Education Strategies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the course coordinator of the Health Mentors Program.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.