Social accountability in action: University-community collaboration in the development of an interprofessional Aboriginal health elective

Abstract

A survey of the health professional curriculum at the University of British Columbia revealed a need for improvements in education relating to Aboriginal health. At the same time, interprofessional education has been increasingly viewed as an essential aspect of sustainable health care reform. Interprofessional approaches to education and community practice have the potential to contribute to improvements in access to care, as well as health professional recruitment in underserved communities. While the benefits of interprofessional approaches have been identified, there are few published examples of the application of interprofessional learning and care in Aboriginal communities. This article describes the co-development by university and community partners of an accredited interprofessional, practice-based Aboriginal health course. Seed funding for this course was originally granted in November 2004 for a demonstration project led by the UBC Faculty of Medicine from a national Primary Health Care Renewal initiative focused on Social Accountability, namely "Issues of Quality and Continuing Professional Development: Maintenance of Competence" (referred to as CPDiQ project). This article presents findings from the development and implementation of this innovative course, run as a pilot during the summer of 2006 in two Aboriginal communities in British Columbia, Canada. Recommendations for integrating Aboriginal perspectives and foregrounding principles of social accountability in interprofessional health curricula are highlighted. In addition, successes and challenges are described related to garnering administrative and curricular support among the various health disciplines, interprofessional scheduling, and fostering cross-discipline understanding and communication.

Narrating Developmental Disability: Researchers, Advocates, and the Creation of an Interview Space in the Context of University-Community Partnerships

“…Though successful collaborations between researchers and organization workers are not always feasible (LeGris et al, 2000), many researchers stress the importance of community collaboration as a means of generating pertinent findings for public policy by joining with front-line workers with first-hand experience (Jansson, Benoit, Casey, Phillips, & Burns, 2010); validating the image of public research universities as connected to the community (Eccles, 1996); increasing the life chances of community members with failing socio-economic infrastructures (Tourse et al, 2008); being able to provide evidence-and patient-based care (Jarvis-Selinger et al, 2008); and the need to negotiate different backgrounds and disciplines to achieve relevant research to implement in practice (Hinshaw, Chance, & Atwood, 1981). As Power, Cumbie, and Weinert (2006) note, this "growing awareness of the need to understand the impact of community dynamics and sociocultural factors on health" (p. 2) means that there has been an increase in "orientations to inquiry that stress community partnership, action for social change, and reductions in health inequities as integral parts of the research enterprise" (p. 2).…”

Shifting the academic lens: Development of an interdisciplinary Indigenous health nursing course

“…[3,4] Further, a successful collaboration would take the form of a blend of conventional western health care ideas and traditional healing practices. [2,6] Having Knowledge Keepers in the classroom and practice so that students can have feedback on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and being in the context of the interdisciplinary framework application to health care issues and creative cultural strategies to engage Aboriginal Peoples in health promotion and prevention. Hands on cultural activities and practice of cultural safety is woven throughout the course.…”

“…[2] Researchers have applied interprofessional approaches to curriculum development [2,6] acknowledged the role, role expectation of paraprofessionals within rural and remote interdisciplinary nursing teams. [3] Providing care in Aboriginal communities requires knowledge of interdisciplinary teams in theory, nursing practice and Indigenous knowledge.…”

“…The development of Indigenous curriculum and courses within Schools of Nursing built on partnerships, relationships and engagement of Aboriginal communities through respectful protocols are needed [2] to insure sustainability of health services, partnerships with Aboriginal communities, and has secondary impacts on nursing recruitement and retention.…”

Leadership in Community Partnerships: South African Study and Experience

“…Indeed collaborations among health professions and other partners assist in engaging all stakeholders in a socially accountable manner as the foundation of healthcare education and practice (6). Unsurprisingly, in building empowering interprofessional efforts, partnerships have become a central plank in health and social care, and university-community partnerships have been employed for their combined synergy (7).…”