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Enhancing Interprofessional Communications Training in Internal Medicine. Lessons Drawn From a Systematic Scoping
Cheng Han Ng1, Zhi Hao Ong, Jeffery Wei Heng Koh
1Mr. Ng: Second Year Medical Student, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Mr. Ong: Third Year Medical Student, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Mr. Koh: Third Year Pharmacy Student, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Ms. Ang: Second Year Nursing Student, Alice Tan Centre of Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Ms. Tan: Fifth Year Medical Student, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Mr. Tay: Fifth Year Medical Student, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Ms. Chin: Senior Librarian, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Dr. Toh: Family Medicine Resident, National University Health System, Singapore. Dr. Zhou: Consultant, Division of Supportive and Palliative Care, National Cancer Centre Singapore, and Education Faculty, Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Singapore. Dr. Krishna: Senior Consultant, Division of Supportive and Palliative Care, National Cancer Centre Singapore; Course Director, (phase 2) Duke NUS Medical School and Course Director, (phase 4 and 5) the Centre for Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Introduction:
Interprofessional communication (IPC) enhances patient experiences and outcomes and improves well-being and satisfaction among health care professionals. This scoping review seeks to guide design of IPC training in internal medicine.
Methods:
The framework of Arksey and O'Malley (2005) guided this systematic scoping review in internal medicine across PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, JSTOR, and Google Scholar databases for publications from the years 2000 to 2018.
Results:
Twenty-two thousand eight hundred seventy-four abstracts were retrieved, 326 full-text articles were reviewed, and 32 articles were included. The themes identified using directed content analysis were indications for an IPC program, training stages, and obstacles. The rationale for IPC programs was to improve interprofessional teamwork and enhance patient care. IPC training occurs in five stages beginning with instilling the role, value, and skills behind IPC and gradually practicing these skills within the clinical setting. The challenges to IPC highlight the need to confront workplace hierarchies and the lack of resources.
Discussion:
The findings of this systematic scoping review also serve to underscore the importance of understanding, evaluating, and influencing the clinical environment and the work environment and the need for new assessment tools that will guide the individualized, longitudinal, competency-based learning process that underpins IPC training.
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