Problem-Based Learning and Case Scenarios: An Interprofessional Pharmacology Experience

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Nursing Education
• Pharmacology Education

Background:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for developing healthcare team collaboration skills.
• IPE is a mandatory component of nursing curricula.
• Effective IPE strategies are needed to prepare students for interprofessional practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an interprofessional education (IPE) experience for nurse practitioner and physician assistant students.
• To focus the IPE on cardiovascular pharmacology.
• To assess the impact of the IPE experience on students' attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.

Main Methods:

• A problem-based learning activity and two mini-case scenarios were developed.
• The Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised (SPP-PICE-R) survey was used.
• The survey was administered pre- and post-IPE activity to measure changes in student perceptions.

Main Results:

• The IPE experience was successfully planned, developed, and implemented.
• Student attitudes toward interprofessional education were assessed using the SPP-PICE-R.
• Challenges encountered during the IPE implementation were discussed.

Conclusions:

• The developed IPE activity provided a valuable learning experience for future healthcare professionals.
• IPE focusing on specific clinical areas like cardiovascular pharmacology can be effective.
• Further discussion on challenges can inform future IPE design and implementation.