Challenges and innovations in interprofessional education: Promoting a public health perspective

Public Health has been a key contributor in the Interprofessional Education Collaborative expert panel for Interprofessional Education (IPE) programs; however, limited programs have directly addressed population health concepts such as social determinants of health and health disparities in healthcare, which directly impact the health and well-being of patients. Thus, this study presents the development and implementation of population health concepts within a traditional, clinically focused IPE program. Within the IPE program conducted in 2016, more than 575 students from 12 health-related disciplines participated in a 4-month academic course. A new curriculum was developed that included a new module on social determinants of health. Previously developed sessions on roles and responsibilities, standardized patient interviewing, patient care planning, and patient safety were re-examined to incorporate the concepts of social determinants of health and health disparities. Course evaluations reported higher mean scores for each new session when compared to scores from previous years evaluation, when social determinants of health had not been addressed. Findings from this evaluation highlight the importance of developing innovative experiential learning experiences that include public health concepts within IPE in order to create a more fulfilling and enriched curriculum to better prepare healthcare students to address the social determinants of health that they will be encountering in their future practice.