A Middle Eastern journey of integrating Interprofessional Education into the healthcare curriculum: a SWOC analysis

Abstract

BackgroundInterprofessional education (IPE) is an emerging concept in the Middle East with a number of health professional degree programs continually striving to meet international accreditation requirements to enhance the quality of education and ensure high standards are maintained. Using the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University (CPH QU) as a model, this article describes the IPE initiatives coordinated through the College’s IPE Committee, with representation from fourteen programs at four Healthcare institutions: Qatar University; Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar; the University of Calgary in Qatar; and the College of North Atlantic in Qatar. These activities are based on the model proposed by the University of British Columbia across the different pharmacy professional years. Learning objectives for these initiatives were selected from the IPE shared competency domains and competency statements developed for Qatar context.MethodA meeting with six faculty members, who have been instrumental to designing and executing the IPE activities in the previous 2 years, was convened. Faculty members reflected on IPE activities and collaborations with other participating programs. A structured SWOC (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Challenges) framework was used to guide discussion. The discussion was recorded and notes were taken during the meeting. Raised points were categorized into each SWOC category for the final analysis.ResultsImplementation of IPE program is a major undertaking with a number of challenges that require invested time to overcome. This article highlights the importance of incorporating IPE into healthcare curricula to graduate students ready for collaborative practice in the workforce. Learning objectives for IPE initiatives need to be based on shared competency domains. When developing and implementing an IPE program it is necessary to align activities under a strong theoretical framework. This should be done under the leadership of an IPE steering group or committee to oversee the integration of IPE into the healthcare curriculum.ConclusionThe article presents many lessons learned through IPE implementation that are relevant to other academic institutions keen to incorporate IPE into their programs and also provides a successful model for integrating IPE into healthcare curricula.

Perspectives of pharmacy students in Qatar toward interprofessional education and collaborative practice: a mixed methods study

“…Overall, the process provided opportunities for key stakeholders to initiate IPE activities that are effective and relevant to their students.. The college has been successful in integrating IPE into their curriculum and these IPE activities have gained positive attention from all the stakeholders and have been incorporated and sustained in the four professional years of pharmacy in recent times (El-Awaisi, Wilby, et al, 2017).…”

A Call to Action to Transform Pharmacy Education and Practice in the Arab World

“…Recent efforts highlight successes in incorporating IPE into both clinical and educational practice, but significant improvement is still needed. [58][59][60][61][62] Some challenges are a lack of standardized educational outcomes related to IPE, limited or nonexistent simulation laboratories, and informal standardized participant programs. 60 Develop and implement quality continuous professional development (CPD) programs as part of licensure renewal.…”

“…[58][59][60][61][62] Some challenges are a lack of standardized educational outcomes related to IPE, limited or nonexistent simulation laboratories, and informal standardized participant programs. 60 Develop and implement quality continuous professional development (CPD) programs as part of licensure renewal. In the Arab world, as in the rest of the world, CPD is of vital importance to augment knowledge and patientcentered practice for all pharmacists.…”

Interprofessional Competency Frameworks in Education

“…IPE activities were developed for students from pharmacy, nursing, physician and allied health professions. The shared domains of IPE competency include professional role clarification, Interprofessional communication, patient-centered care and shared decision-making (El-Awaisi et al, 2017). Johnson et al (2015) reviewed and researched the framework developed by QU's College of Pharmacy, as well as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) from the United States, the CIHC, and the Interprofessional Core Competency Framework (ICCF), both from Canada.…”