Culturally Effective Care for Refugee Populations: Interprofessional, Interactive Case Studies.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Refugee Health

Background:

• Traditional health sciences education often limits student exposure to refugee populations.
• Simulated patient (SP) exercises offer realistic, real-time learning for complex health scenarios.
• Interprofessional collaboration is crucial for addressing the multifaceted needs of refugees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an interprofessional simulated patient exercise for health sciences students.
• To explore common health needs and barriers to care experienced by refugee populations.
• To enhance students' understanding of culturally effective patient care within an interprofessional team.

Main Methods:

• Health professions students (n=524) from nine programs participated in interprofessional small groups.
• A simulated patient facilitator guided discussions on refugee health cases, focusing on specific learning objectives.
• An Observation Checklist assessed student engagement and understanding of key concepts.

Main Results:

• 95% of groups demonstrated engagement with the simulated patient facilitator.
• Student groups showed knowledge of refugee health needs, healthcare barriers, bias, and social determinants of health.
• Qualitative data confirmed student understanding of overarching learning objectives.

Conclusions:

• Simulated patient exercises are effective for interprofessional health sciences education regarding refugee populations.
• This approach enhances students' ability to provide culturally competent care to vulnerable groups.
• Interprofessional teams can better address the complex health challenges faced by refugees.