Spring EngAGEment: An Interprofessional Collaboration to Enhance Community Interaction and University Education

Abstract

Purpose Interprofessional education and practices are increasingly recognized as vital to addressing complex health needs, including individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or other associated dementias (AD/OAD). An innovative approach to meet this need is to create a meaningful engagement experience, Spring EngAGEment, following a multidisciplinary patient-centered model to serve individuals with AD/OAD and their care partners in the community and to offer new interprofessional collaboration opportunities for college students and faculty across disciplines in nursing, recreation, and speech-language pathology. The Spring EngAGEment program was developed by lead undergraduate students in an outcome-based program planning course from the Department of Recreation, Parks & Leisure Services and implemented by student volunteers and faculty across the disciplines with ongoing mentorship from the author team and feedback from the local ACT on Alzheimer's team. The program offered community resource booths, gardening, music therapy, and physical activity education as a way to inform individuals with AD/OAD and their care partners on available community resources, increase their mental outlook, and help reduce their isolation and stress. Conclusions This interprofessional practice/interprofessional education experience not only allowed college students to facilitate collaboration with future health care professionals from a variety of disciplines but also provided the participants living with AD/OAD and their care partners with new ideas and strategies to help adjust to their life changes. Program outcomes from event participants with AD/OAD and student volunteers were reported. Lessons identified by the author team are discussed.

Assessment tools in pre‐licensure interprofessional education: A systematic review, quality appraisal and narrative synthesis

“…Analysis of included articles demonstrated that the nursing profession was the most frequently represented (n = 27), 22‐48 followed by medicine (n = 20), 24,26,27,29,30,32,34‐36,38,40‐44,46‐50 and pharmacy (n = 14) 22,24‐26,28,29,31,41,43,44,50‐53 . A large number of studies were undertaken in the United States of America (n = 24), 22‐25,28‐33,36‐41,45,49‐52,54‐56 with a smaller number from Australia (n = 4), 34,43,57,58 Canada (n = 3) 53,59,60 and the United Kingdom (n = 2) 42,47 (see Appendix ). Acquisition of knowledge was the most commonly assessed outcome (n = 17), 24,26‐29,32,33,35,38,39,43‐45,49,53,55,57 followed by behaviour change (n = 17), 22,25,30‐32,36,37,40,41,44,45,50,55,56,58‐60 benefit to patients (n = 11) 23,34,39,42,46‐48,51,52,54 and acquisition of skills (n = 3) 25,30,31 .…”

“…A large number of studies were undertaken in the United States of America (n = 24), 22‐25,28‐33,36‐41,45,49‐52,54‐56 with a smaller number from Australia (n = 4), 34,43,57,58 Canada (n = 3) 53,59,60 and the United Kingdom (n = 2) 42,47 (see Appendix ). Acquisition of knowledge was the most commonly assessed outcome (n = 17), 24,26‐29,32,33,35,38,39,43‐45,49,53,55,57 followed by behaviour change (n = 17), 22,25,30‐32,36,37,40,41,44,45,50,55,56,58‐60 benefit to patients (n = 11) 23,34,39,42,46‐48,51,52,54 and acquisition of skills (n = 3) 25,30,31 . No studies were found focusing on organisational change as an outcome.…”

“…There was significant heterogeneity in IPE interventions reported in the included studies. The majority of these studies delivered IPE activities in classroom or simulated settings (n = 28) 22,23,25‐33,35‐38,40,41,43‐45,49,50,53,54,56‐59 rather than in clinical/health service settings or community setting (n = 10). IPE interventions varied in their length and episodic nature, where the majority presented one‐off sessions (n = 19), 22,23,25‐29,31,32,35,38,40,41,49,51,53,54,56,57 a short series of activities (n = 8) 36,39,42‐44,46,47,55 and some reported interventions that were of a significant longitudinal nature (months to years) (n = 10) 24,30,33,34,36,38,48,50,52,59 .…”

“…IPE interventions varied in their length and episodic nature, where the majority presented one‐off sessions (n = 19), 22,23,25‐29,31,32,35,38,40,41,49,51,53,54,56,57 a short series of activities (n = 8) 36,39,42‐44,46,47,55 and some reported interventions that were of a significant longitudinal nature (months to years) (n = 10) 24,30,33,34,36,38,48,50,52,59 . There were a range of teaching and learning approaches adopted, with many facilitating experiential learning from clinics, wards or providing services to patients and the public (n = 13), 23,30,34,42,46‐48,50‐52,54,55,59 many employed active learning strategies such as simulation, team‐based learning and interactive workshops (n = 19) 24,26,28,29,32,33,36‐41,43‐45,49,56,57,59 with much fewer exclusively using didactic methods such as lectures and self‐directed exercises (n = 3) 27,53,59 …”

“…However, in some, this information was challenging to deduce and therefore difficult to evaluate the constructive alignment to the assessment strategy (n = 9) 26,28,32,34,40,43,44,48,55 . When reporting was appropriate, the complementarity of the assessment to the aims was generally reasonable (n = 16), 23,24,27,30,33,36,39,41,42,45,49,50,52,56,57,59 for example where the aim was to achieve knowledge gain, a knowledge test was used 27 . In some cases, the alignment was poor as an inappropriate assessment tool was selected to address the stipulated aim (n = 8), 29,35,38,46,47,51,53,54 for example the aim was to develop competencies and the assessment tool just tested knowledge 38 …”