Exploring the Role of Interprofessional Education in Ontario Hospital to Home Integrated Care Programs.

Bookey-Bassett, Sue; Espin, Sherry; Northwood, Melissa; Jeffs, Lianne; Veerasuntharam, Ashwini

Introduction: Integrated health services is proposed as a strategy to manage and deliver care across various sectors throughout an individual's lifespan (WHO, 2015). New models of care require different models of learning, as there are limitations in current healthcare providers' abilities to support integrated health service delivery (Chehade et al., 2016). Interprofessional education (IPE) is recommended as a critical strategy in preparing the healthcare workforce for more integrated service delivery models (Bookey-Bassett et al., 2016). However, it is unclear whether IPE is provided during health care system transformation in Ontario to support the development of the current workforce for integrated care. Methods: The study purpose was to describe perceptions and experiences of key informants regarding the current state of IPE in training current healthcare professionals to work in hospital to home integrated care programs in Ontario, Canada. A qualitative descriptive design was utilized. Key informants included leaders of integrated care programs from varied healthcare settings across the province. Individual interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Data analysis followed a thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings were elucidated through the lens of an interprofessional learning continuum model (Institute of Medicine, 2015) and specific competencies for integrated care (Langins and Borgermans, 2015). Key Findings: Preliminary findings will include: a description of the participating Integrated care programs; key themes reflecting participants' understanding and experiences of IPE within the context of hospital to home integrated care programs; participants' perceptions of how IPE supports integrated care; barriers and facilitators to implementing IPE in hospital to home integrated care programs; and recommendations for building new collaborations and supporting workforce capacity and capability particularly related to clinical and professional integration. Conclusions: As new models of hospital to home integrated care evolve in Ontario, it is recommended that IPE be incorporated and adapted to meet the changing needs of patient populations, shifting roles of health care providers, and integrated care frameworks. Implications: Findings from this study have important implications for health professions' continuing education and integrated healthcare leaders in various practice settings. Recommendations for further research will be outlined.

DENMARK; ONTARIO; ATTITUDES of medical personnel; TRANSITIONAL care; RESEARCH methodology; CONFERENCES & conventions; QUALITATIVE research; INTERDISCIPLINARY education; INTEGRATED health care delivery

International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC), 2022, Vol 22, p1

1568-4156

Academic Journal

10.5334/ijic.ICIC220214