Collaboration in Medicine: The Role of Interprofessional Education

Introduction: The concepts of collaboration and interprofessional (IP) education were introduced to healthcare professions in the 1970s; however, it was not until the late 1990's that the care provided by IP teams was recognized as important to the delivery of patient care. When institutions of higher learning include IP education in the curricula, students have the opportunity to immerse in collaborative learning experiences rather than being isolated in the traditional "siloes" of individual healthcare professions. The purpose of this work is to report the ongoing implementation, assessment, and improvement of an annual inter-university, multi-department simulation exercise developed to promote collaboration, collegiality, and communication within a healthcare setting.Methods: Faculty from two universities in west Texas collaborated to provide a clinical simulation experience focusing on IP teamwork and cultural and spiritual diversity. Multiple scenarios were created and developed by faculty from the participating disciplines who were aided by the latest Clinical Practice guidelines. The evidence-based scenarios addressed various chronic medical conditions and gender, ethnic, religious, psychosocial, and cultural competence issues.Results: Several themes emerged through the multiple debrief sessions and analysis of qualitative data: a) increased knowledge of the others' discipline and role, b) communication skills, c) increased cultural awareness, d) trust, and e) increased knowledge of disease process as it related to their own and others' disciplines.Conclusions:The findings suggest an unanticipated opportunity arising from the simulation experience for faculty and students to develop the skillset necessary to work within experimental medicine.