These data highlight the importance of barrier and strategy identification in developing and implementing realistic self-management plans and the significance of collaborative alliances between patients and practitioners. Awareness of barriers, identification of strategies to overcome obstacles and the opportunity to problem solve with practitioners assists patients in managing a chronic illness that requires numerous daily decisions.

In 2014, the Midwest Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research Center partnered with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to implement an interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) education program to improve the health of adult patients with diabetes and to improve practice efficiency. This partnership included integrating an interprofessional team of students with the practice team. Twenty-five students and 20 staff engaged in the IPCP program, which included completion of educational modules on IPCP and implementation of daily huddles, focus patient visits, phone calls, team-based case presentations, medication reconciliation, and student-led group diabetes education classes. This study used a sequential mixed methods design. Tools used for collecting data from staff and students included demographic forms, the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS), the Entry-level Interprofessional Questionnaire, the Collaborative Practice Assessment Tool, and pre/post module knowledge tests completed at baseline and at one-year post implementation. Patient clinical indicators included HgbA1c, glucose, lipid panel laboratory assessments, body mass index, blood pressure, and documentation of annual dental, foot, and eye examinations. Practice efficiency was measured by the average number of patients seen per provider per hour. Both students and staff showed significant knowledge gains in IPCP on Team Dynamics and Tips for Behavioural Changes knowledge tests (p < .05). Patients who had an HgbA1c of ≥ 7% significantly decreased their HgbA1c (p < .05) and glucose (p < .01). However, BMI and annual dental and eye examinations did not improve. Providers demonstrated an increase in the number of patients seen per hour. This IPCP intervention showed improvement in practice efficiencies and select patient outcomes in a family practice clinic.

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In 2008, a children's hospital based in the Midwest of the USA launched a hospital-wide safety transformation initiative to improve the safety and quality of care resulting in a decrease in the number of critical safety incidents. In order to build on the early successes of the Hospital's safety program and further improve safety metrics, investigators developed a set of multi-pronged, interprofessional interventions designed to improve overall safety outcomes. The interprofessional interventions focused on didactic training, simulation exercises and safety rounding components. Study results indicate that the didactic portion of the study intervention was the most effective component in terms of safety behavior knowledge gained and satisfaction. The student groups had statistically significant higher post-didactic (86.2 versus 77.7, p < 0.001) and post-simulation (85 versus 81.8, p < 0.05) knowledge scores than did the staff groups. After gaining knowledge in basic safety training didactic instruction, students and staff maintained the knowledge gain throughout the study, but no significant knowledge gains were observed after simulation experiences and rounding with safety coaches. An overall increase in hospital metrics (all safety events) of the study year, compared retrospectively to the previous year, was observed. Investigators attribute the increase in the metric indicators to greater attention to reporting safety events.

Low to middle income Commercial, public, uninsured Center E b 1991 Urban, campus-based family Students, faculty, staff Commercial, public housing unit uninsured University #4 Center F 1979 Urban, medical center out-Low income Commercial, public, patient facility uninsured a. Outreach clinic serves residence in a public-housing development. b. Outreach clinic in a shelter that serves women and children that are victims of domestic violence.