Interprofessional Education

Code:

MEAC16_14

Acronym:

EI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Health Sciences

Instance: 2022/2023 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Academic and Clinical Education

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MEAC	10	Current Studies Plan	1	-	3	21	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

In 2010 the World Health Organisation (WHO) placed definitely the interprofessional education in the Health education centre, clarifying the importance of “learning together to work together for a better Health” (WHO, 2010, p.12).

The Health care safety and quality imply an integral approach that includes the multiple dimensions of population health needs, whereby the communication and collaboration between the different professionals is essential in every processes (Zwarebstein, Goldman, Reeves, 2009).

Nowadays, the interprofessional education is understood as a strategy that seeks to educate more critical and reflective professionals, able to work in teams and learn together. It is recognized that it is essential that health professionals can work collaboratively sharing actions and knowledge.. The acquisition of knowledge, abilities and attitudes of each of the professionalsto solve the problems and population needs, should lead to the safety and quality of care, provided in compliance with the ethical and deontological principles, optimizing resources (WHO, 2010).

Believing that health knowledge only makes sense within the world of work, and that professionals do not work alone, it is important to strengthen that it is the coexistence and sharing of knowledge that transforms the process of working on a close relationship between theory and practice.The literature about team work and collaborative practice reveals that the collaboration of professionals from different areas implies the maintenance of specificities of each area (Zenzano et al, 2011), clarifying that interdisciplinarily requires disciplinarily (Iribarry, 2013). The interdisciplinarily, while intense collaboration mean is associated to a common space, that starts from the integration of the knowledge and specificities of each professional to find solutions to the complex problems.

The curricular unit of interprofessional education demands on reinforce the importance of teamwork and the integration of work strength, observing the specificities of each profession.

In this sense, will be promoted the discussion of professional roles and the specificities of each profession, the identification of commitments to solve problems and the negotiation to decision-making, upheld in collaborative planning.

The relevance of the content defined for the curricular unit of interprofessional education was discussed in the context of the final profile for the Master's Course in Academic and Clinical Education. Guiding principles have been defined for the pedagogical dimension of the course that encourage the active participation of students in their learning. So it was organized a strategy based on the active pedagogy with strong intervention of reflective and creative processes of the students.

Appropriate methodologies will be used to engage students with interprofissionalism in which teamwork, discussion of professional roles, the commitment to problem solving and negotiation in decision-making are striking characteristics.

This curricular unit will seek reflection on the development of common skills, specific and collaborative for health professionals, which have been defined as essential for the quality of professional education and health care.

Learning outcomes and competences

- Recognize interprofessional education and practice as components to ensure the health care quality;

- Discuss the integrality and transdisciplinarity in multi-professional health teams;

- Recognize teamwork, discussion of professional roles, commitment to solve problems and negotiating in decision-making as structural axes of interprofessional education and practice;

- Identify the three main competencies of interprofessional practice: the commons to all professions, the specifics of each professional area and the collaborative competencies;

- Understand the importance of information and communication in health in the interprofessional practice;

- Discuss the users’ rights as interprofessional practice guide;

- Stimulate interprofessional practices involving students, teachers and health professionals.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1- The Interprofessional Education context:

- The professions and its duties;

- Principal competencies of interprofessional practice: commons, specifics and collaboratives;

2- Teamwork for health care safety and quality:

- The teamwork: concepts and meanings. The professional roles, the commitmentin the solution of problems and the negotiation in decision-making;

- Competencies for the teamwork;

- Overview on the safety and quality of care in the different health professions;

- The teamwork: from the isolated action to the teamwork focused in the users;

3- The users’ rights as interprofessional practice guide:

- Care Ethics and deontology in an interprofessional care context;

- The importance of information and communication in health as fundamental axis of interprofessional practice;

4- Interprofessional practices involving students, teachers and health professionals.

Mandatory literature

Zenzano T, Allan JD, Bigley MB, Bushardt RL, Garr DR, Johnson K, et al.; The roles of healthcare professionals in implementing clinical prevention and population health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2011
Iribarry, I. S.; Aproximações sobre a transdisciplinaridade: algumas linhas históricas, fundamentos e princípios aplicados ao trabalho em equipe, Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 2003
Zwarebstein M, Goldman J & Reeves S.; Interprofessional collaboration: effects of practice-based interventions on professional practice and healthcare outcomes, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009
World Health Organization; Framework for action on interprofessional education & collaborative practice, World Health Organization, 2010
Barr H, Koppel I, Reeves S, Hammick M & Freeth D.; Effective interprofessional education: arguments, assumption & evidence, Blackwell, 2005

Teaching methods and learning activities

The curricular unit of interprofessional education will seek to place the students at the center of the process and as authors of their learning. We’ll propose active methodologies that allow the acquisition of conceptual tools and the development of capabilities of critical analysis and decision-making on the problems under study,using expository and interactive methods, making contextualization, demonstration and practice based on the best available empirical evidence.

There will also be developed by the students, under guidance, papers within the addressed themes that will underpin the assessment of learning in this curricular unit.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	60,00
Frequência das aulas	21,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance: 75 %.

Calculation formula of final grade

The evaluation will be assessed through a written essay and oral presentation (100 %).