Building Interprofessional Competencies Through a Collaborative Prescribing Activity With Osteopathic, Pharmacy, and...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Medication errors pose significant risks, with nearly half originating during prescription writing.
• Effective interprofessional communication and collaboration are crucial for mitigating these errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a virtual interprofessional education activity on students' collaborative prescribing competencies.
• To enhance communication and teamwork skills among future healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• A 60-minute virtual, three-part educational activity involving medical, physician assistant, and pharmacy students.
• Activities included prescription review, professional role discussion, and error identification exercises.
• Learner perceptions were measured using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS).

Main Results:

• A 90% response rate from 317 participants (151 medical, 68 physician assistant, 98 pharmacy students).
• Statistically significant increases (p < .001) were reported across all 20 ICCAS survey questions.
• Participants showed enhanced confidence in virtual collaboration and telehealth skills.

Conclusions:

• The virtual interprofessional education activity effectively improved students' collaborative competencies in prescribing.
• This format facilitated broader participation and introduced valuable telehealth skills.
• Enhanced interprofessional communication in prescribing can contribute to improved patient safety.