The ACT Health inter-professional learning project

Inter-professional learning: an international perspective

• A/Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite• Ms Jo Travaglia

Centre for Clinical Governance Research, University of New South Wales

31 January 2006

For participating members of the Executive Management Group of the IPL project, ACT Health: • Ms Karen Murphy• Adjunct Professor Jenny Beutel• Ms Belinda O’Sullivan• Dr Mary-Ann Ryall• A/Professor Ruth Foxwell

Agenda for this morningWhat Covers

Presentation Issues about IPL across ACT Health, and in international context

Questions and answers

Participants’ interests and issues

Post-presentation discussion

Three questions. What:(a) might be the implications for the

College and its members?(b) are the implications for ACT Health

and the ACT Tertiary education providers?

(c) input into the next stages would participants care to provide?

Final comments Conclusion and closure

To begin …Inter-professional learning is defined as: “a collaborative, interdisciplinary education and learning process designed to produce effective, multidisciplinary patient centred care.” It emerges from work, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom [eg, at Universities of Southampton and Portsmouth, with Prof Debra Humphris]

To begin …

ACT Health’s IPL project aims to:Engage with key stakeholdersPresent emerging findings from the projectObtain input into the IPL frameworkIdentify the concept of the IPL network to carry the project forward

To begin …

What are the problems that IPL is designed to solve?

Workforce shortagesProfessional sub-cultures and silosBarriers to teamworkIncreasingly complex patient groups requiring inter-and multi-disciplinary responsesPressure for new models of care

Where we started - literature review

Total of 62,436 referencesRefined to 37,812 useful referencesAvailable as a document: Inter-professional learning and clinical education 1990-2005: an annotated list of the literatureBeware: it’s 10,945 pages of 10pt text

Literature review

Further reduced to 3,765 key documents – aiming at the most important and valuable research-based literatureLiterature analysed by researchers; Inter-professional Learning Project Reference Group; Leximancer content analysis software tool

Literature reviewMain document produced: Inter-professional learning and clinical education: an overview of the literature

Four background discussion documents on the ACT Health website:

#1: the governance and value of inter-professional learning and practice#2: inter-professional practice#3: inter-professional relations#4: clinical education and placements.

Key themes from the literature1. Governance and value of IPL

IPL an emerging issue, and becoming increasingly importantWidely supported internationallyMultiple benefits [communication, patient outcomes improved]Disadvantages: identity of professionals, lack of evidence of effectiveness, governance difficult

Key themes from the literature2. Inter-professional practice

IPL related to increasing competence beyond individual professionsExpands range of ideas, practices, issues, perspectives professionals are exposed toTeaches team skillsHelps translate learning into practice

Key themes from the literature3. Inter-professional relations

IPL an antidote to working in ‘silos’Improves the capacity and actuality of collaborationLeads to more emphasis on teamsCollaboration and teams in turn are seen as important ingredients in creating safer, higher quality care

Key themes from the literature4. Clinical education and

placementsIPL bolsters clinical education in many waysIt can bridge the twin areas responsible for delivering well trained clinical professionals: the education and health sectorsIPL placements help create more collaborative workforces

A broad timeframe for the futureShort term: to enhance teamwork and collaboration amongst educational faculty and learners associated with ACT Health, and teams, units and services within the jurisdiction of ACT HealthMedium term: to encourage widespread collaborative practices and patient centred care throughout ACT HealthLong term: to contribute to improved safety, quality, morale and outcomes for patients, staff and students across ACT Health facilities and services

DiscussionIPL seems destined to emerge – and rightly so, as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages for most commentatorsACT Health is leading Australia in this initiativeThe next stage is to operationalise this project, ie, fund and institute it

DiscussionAs well as doing a literature analysis we have produced a Framework document and an Implementation PlanThese are documents which chart the course for IPL across ACT in the futureThey are also on the ACT Health website

DiscussionThe Framework document and Implementation Plan cover the following details:

A statement of principles about IPLSpecifications of IPL’s purpose and importanceA mission statement for IPL across ACTA stakeholder analysis

DiscussionContinued:

The major goals of IPL for ACT HealthSome high-level performance indicators across timeAn analysis of barriers to progressWays to overcome theseSome discussion of change management models and enablers to chart the journey from now to a more IPL-oriented ACT

Next stepsWe are also developing an ARC Linkage grant applicationThis will help us undertake prospective, evidence-based analysis of our progress with IPLAnd provide strong data along the way to support implementation

Conclusion: where to from here? How it might end up

Conclusion: where to from here? How we want it to end up

Audience discussionGeneral questions?Questions to reflect on: What

(a) might be the implications for the College and its members?(b) are the implications for ACT Health and the ACT Tertiary education providers?(c) input into the next stages would participants care to provide?

Closure

We are at the dawn of a new era