Enhancing Primary Care by Investing in Interprofessional Education: The SPLICE Project

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Primary Care Training

Background:

• The need for team-based primary care education is critical.
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding supported innovative educational initiatives.
• Integrating Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies is essential for modern healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and evaluation of the SPLICE Initiative.
• To assess the impact of interprofessional, community-based education on health professions learners.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of simulation-based learning in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• Development of case studies and simulations integrating IPEC Core Competencies.
• Faculty facilitators from diverse professions modeled interprofessional collaboration.
• Mixed-methods evaluation including self-assessments, surveys, and focus groups.

Main Results:

• Created 21 unique primary care simulations aligned with IPEC competencies.
• Improved confidence and competence in over 700 learners.
• Trained over 110 faculty in simulation and debriefing; enhanced FQHC quality improvement.

Conclusions:

• The SPLICE Initiative successfully enhanced primary care education through interprofessional simulation.
• The project demonstrated significant positive outcomes, including high learner retention in primary care.
• The initiative showed a substantial return on investment beyond initial HRSA funding.