Teaching interprofessional competency in graduate education and training - implementation and evaluation of a...

Interprofessional competencies should be taught, over and above undergraduate education, in post-graduate continuing education. For better collaboration between the fields of medicine and pharmacy in regard to the safety of drug therapy in cases of polypharmacy, we designed an interprofessional training format for pharmacists and physicians specializing in general practice, which specifically aimed at improving the perception of roles and competencies by each professional group in order to improve everyday collaboration.

Based on an undergraduate teaching project in medicine and pharmacy, the Competence Center for Further Training in General Practice Berlin (Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Berlin) and the Berlin Chamber of Pharmacists (Apothekerkammer Berlin) have developed a case-based, interprofessional seminar course for pharmacists (PH) independently pursuing continuing education and physicians pursuing specialization in general practice (GP trainees). Collaborative interdisciplinary discussions were held facilitated by interprofessional team teaching. The course, consisting of two teaching units, was offered in the evening in an easily accessible online format. The evaluation focused on participant satisfaction and changes in the perceptions of the other professional group.

A total of three online seminar sessions on different topics were held in 2023-24. Overall, 48 PH and 58 GP trainees participated. A total of 57 participants evaluated the course (response rate 54%). Of these, 55 would recommend the seminar course and all respondents assessed the interprofessional focus as helpful. They predominantly evaluated both the informational content and the opportunity for discussion as being appropriate. In the open-ended comments, becoming acquainted with the other professional group in the context of casework was identified as enriching. A total of 34 participants participated in a second evaluation after four weeks of professional work. Most of these respondents stated they were better able to discern the competencies of the other professional group; however, just barely half of them felt that interactions with the other professional group had improved. Individual participants, however, described difficulties making contact during routine work.

An easily accessible, online seminar with interprofessional, case-based content received with a high level of acceptance and enabled interprofessional interaction. It led to an improvement in the perception of the other professional group's expertise, yet improvement in routine professional relations was limited.