A co-curricular diabetes-specific elective with interprofessional students and faculty.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Diabetes Management

Background:

• Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is crucial for patient care.
• Pharmacy students require enhanced confidence and skills in providing DSMES.
• Interprofessional education can improve healthcare professional collaboration and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of an interprofessional co-curricular elective in boosting pharmacy students' confidence in delivering DSMES.
• To evaluate the impact of a diabetes-specific elective on pharmacy students' preparedness for patient education.
• To explore the benefits of interprofessional learning environments for future healthcare providers.

Main Methods:

• A co-curricular, diabetes-specific elective was developed and offered to pharmacy and medical students.
• The elective covered diabetes overview, medications, insulin therapy, monitoring, nutrition, and fitness.
• Pharmacy student confidence was evaluated using a retrospective pre-post survey with a Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Main Results:

• 16 pharmacy students participated, with an 63% response rate.
• A significant increase in student confidence was observed across most DSMES areas.
• 80% of participants found the elective valuable for their professional development.

Conclusions:

• The interprofessional co-curricular elective effectively enhanced pharmacy students' confidence in providing DSMES.
• The elective fostered interprofessional learning, mirroring real-world healthcare collaboration.
• Developing similar enrichment electives can better equip students to manage chronic diseases and collaborate with peers.