Development and implementation of an interprofessional pharmacotherapy learning experience during an advanced pharmacy practice rotation in primary care.

BACKGROUND

There is increased focus and pressure to include interprofessional education during training of health professionals. This program describes an interprofessional education program between pharmacy, medical, and nurse practitioner students during a primary care clinical rotation elective.

INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ACTIVITY

The interprofessional education program (IPE) during a primary care rotation was developed to be included as a learning experience throughout the rotation period. The health professions included have a role in appropriate prescribing; therefore, the content emphasis is primary care disease states where pharmacotherapy is a treatment modality.

DISCUSSION

Data assessing the program was collected using the Interprofessional Education Perception Scale (IEPS) from April 2014 to April 2016. A total of 56 IEPS pre- and post-surveys were collected for analysis. A significant difference in the IEPS scale was found in the subgroups of (1) professional competence and autonomy and (2) perceived need for professional competence (p < .05). Qualitative results of the completed surveys show a trend of respectful and positive communication between students, lack of previous IPE experience prior to the intervention, and a collaborative environment where students had the opportunity to learn about each other's professions. Structured interactions between health professions student interactions during clinical rotations can be beneficial for students to learn about each other and may lead to better collaboration. The authors will use the current program as a foundation for other interprofessional activities between students.