Arizona Telemedicine Program Interprofessional Learning Center: facility design and curriculum development.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Telehealth Technology
• Interprofessional Communication

Background:

• The Institute for Advanced Telemedicine and Telehealth (T-Health Institute) focuses on innovative healthcare education.
• Traditional healthcare education often struggles with fostering interprofessional collaboration.
• The Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP) supports state-wide telehealth initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a unique video amphitheater designed for interprofessional healthcare education.
• To facilitate communication and collaboration among diverse student groups.
• To create a flexible learning environment for training future healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Development of a specialized audio-video system for real-time communication.
• Integration of personal video cameras, headphones, microphones, and voice channels for each student.
• Implementation of a command and control system for managing video and audio feeds.
• Utilizing a video wall for dynamic display and reconfiguration of interprofessional groups.

Main Results:

• The system allows for the creation of ad hoc electronic interdisciplinary student groups.
• Off-site participants can join groups seamlessly via video conferencing.
• The audio-video system enables easy reconfiguration of groups without disrupting participants.
• Each student has individual control over their audio and video input.

Conclusions:

• The video amphitheater provides a unique platform for interprofessional healthcare education.
• It enhances communication and collaboration in heterogeneous student populations.
• The facility serves as both a classroom and a research laboratory for educational innovation.