Interprofessional Education A Tale of Two Centuries

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Interprofessional EducationA Tale of Two
Centuries

• John H.V.Gilbert, Ph.D. Principal Professor
  Emeritus
• College of Health Disciplines, UBC
• Project Lead, Canadian Interprofessional Health
  Collaborative

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Presentation ObjectivesThe Two Century Issues

• The problem of definition
• What does it mean?
• What does it claim?
• How can we test?

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Using the Wrong Word Descriptions of
Interdisciplinary Education

• Drawing on two or more disciplines in a single
  course or program.
• A course or instructional program involving
  concepts, knowledge, or faculty from several
  disciplines.
• Designating a combination of subject matter from
  two or more disciplines within a course or
  program.

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Avoiding the Humpty Dumpty Semantic Trap

• When I use a word, Humpty Dumpty said, in a
  rather scornful tone, it means just what I
  choose it to mean neither more nor less.
• (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass,
  Chapter VI)

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Using the Right word The Definition of
Interprofessional Education

• Occasions when two or more professions learn
  with, from and about each other to improve
  collaboration and the quality of care.
• (Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional
  Education, (UK) rev. 2002)

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Establishing the DefinitionThe Soundbite Problem

• The struggle to be heard takes precedence over
  the accuracy of what is being said

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The Research CLAIM For IPE

• When two or more professions learn with, from
  and about each other they significantly improve
  collaboration and the quality of care.

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The Null Hypothesis for IPE Research?

• There is no difference in collaboration to
  improve quality of care provided by health
  human service professionals who are educated at
  the pre-licensure level to learn with, from and
  about each other, when compared with those
  professionals who are not so educated.

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Possible Theoretical Approaches

• WITH, FROM, ABOUT
• Contact theory? (Allport, 1954)
• COLLABORATION
• Social Identity theory? (Tajfel, 1978, 1981)
• QUALITY OF CARE
• Donabedian? (1988)

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WITH, FROM, ABOUTProbing the words

• Take a health problem e.g. obesity
• Bring together students from a variety of health
  disciplines
• Engage them in a unique learning dialogue.

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With

• Students learn with each other, about obesity,
  in a variety of paradigms, e.g.,
• problem based learning,
• case based learning,
• appreciative enquiry,
• other

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From

• Students learn from each other, about the
• knowledge base, and
• practices
• that each profession brings to the problem of
  obesity.

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About

• Students learn to
• integrate what they have learned about each
  others knowledge base and practices related to
  obesity,
• into a coordinated plan to
• improve quality of care
• of the obese person.

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Not Synonyms

• Cooperation
• Willingness to work with others to achieve a
  common purpose
• Coordination
• Getting the work of everyone in synch timing
  and sequencing of efforts for efficiency, and
  completeness

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The 3 Cs The Problem with Words
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Learning Outcome

• The interprofessional whole
• Is greater than the sum of
• The uni-professional parts

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The Null Hypothesis for IPE

• There is no difference in collaboration to
  improve quality of care provided by health
  human service professionals who are educated at
  the pre-licensure level to learn with, from and
  about each other, as compared with those
  professionals who are not so educated.

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The CLAIM for IPE

• When two or more professions learn with, from
  and about each other they significantly improve
  collaboration and the quality of care.

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Testing the Hypothesis Some Major Research Areas

• Inherent
• interpersonal differences e.g. age, gender,
  culture
• fear of change e.g. place, time, persons
• stereotypic rivalry e.g. me, him/her, them
• power, income and status e.g. salary vs.
  fee-for-service
• language e.g. gender, profession, social class,
  jargon
• External
• models of practice e.g. medicine, nursing, social
  work
• management structures e.g. acute care, community
• management priorities e.g. money, space, people

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Its not this obvious!

• From an examination booklet!

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Attributed to the British economist Maynard Keynes

• In the presence of new evidence I change my
  mind. What do you do?

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and evermore thanks, the exchequer of the poor

• to the patients, CIHC and colleagues in
  practice, education and governments across
  Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia Sweden who
  have helped Canada grow IPE
• www.cihc.ca
• john.gilbert_at_ubc.ca