Health Professions Students' Reflections About Principles of Interprofessional Collaboration after Shadowing...

Area of Science:

• Interprofessional Education
• Palliative Care
• Healthcare Professional Training

Background:

• Shadowing is used to educate future healthcare professionals on collaborative practice.
• Traditional shadowing often lacks opportunities for direct interprofessional collaboration.
• This study examines interprofessional students' experiences in palliative care shadowing.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate themes in interprofessional students' palliative care shadowing experiences.
• Assess understanding of collaborative patient-centered care.
• Evaluate comprehension of social determinants of health and health disparities.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative directed content analysis of 498 sentences from 28 student reflection essays.
• Essays were from students in the Interprofessional Palliative Care program at Thomas Jefferson University.
• Coding categories were based on 2023 Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies and Healthy People 2030 definitions.

Main Results:

• 32% of sentences addressed IPEC competencies.
• 18% of sentences discussed social determinants of health/health disparities.
• Student emotional reactions and professional role development were also noted.

Conclusions:

• Palliative care shadowing provides a valuable platform for identifying and learning interprofessional competencies.
• Student reflections highlight the potential of shadowing in interprofessional palliative care curricula.
• This method can enhance understanding of collaborative care and health disparities.