Development of an interprofessional education program for aspiration pneumonia care: an action research study

Aspiration pneumonia has evolved, with demographics shifting to predominantly frail older adults. However, despite the high healthcare impact, there is no established guideline or curriculum for the education and training of healthcare professionals in managing aspiration pneumonia in older adults. This study aimed to explore optimal educational interventions to improve holistic management of aspiration pneumonia in older adults, and to identify barriers and facilitators towards developing multidisciplinary teams specialized in this area.

We conducted a multi-year action research study from 2019 to 2024 using Kern's six-step model across three annual cycles: exploratory (2020), prototyping (2021), and refinement (2022) phases. Participating hospitals across Japan recruited interprofessional teams consisting of physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, physical, occupational, and speech-language therapists, dietitians, social workers, and care workers. The educational intervention combined streamlined pre-learning modules with interactive workshops featuring case-based simulation. Primary outcomes included participant satisfaction and establishment of a new multidisciplinary team at 6-month follow-up. We integrated quantitative metrics and qualitative thematic analysis to analyze data.

A total of 131 participants from 32 hospitals participated. Overall satisfaction scores remained consistently high: 4.4 ± 0.6 (2020), 4.5 ± 0.5 (2021), and 4.5 ± 0.6 (2022) out of 5.0. Pre-learning completion rates improved substantially from 84.4 to 96.1% following weekly reminders and mobile optimization. At 6-month follow-up, 37.5% (3/8) of teams without pre-existing multidisciplinary teams established new teams, while all other teams reported enhanced interprofessional activities and behavioral changes.

Through iterative refinement in a collaborative practice paradigm, we demonstrated the critical importance of interprofessional collaboration in the management of older adults with aspiration pneumonia.