The need to expose students to IPE, led three doctor of physical therapy (DPT) programs in USA and Pakistan to explore ways to collaborate and incorporate IPE into their curriculum for maximal retention in future IPC practice post-graduation.
DPT Program One in South Dakota, USA included IPE with OT students for pediatric assessments in Year I/II; rural health IPE experiences during the first clinical; Year II IPE cases in the simulation lab with OT, Nursing, and Medical Lab Science students; and IPE professional events scattered throughout curriculum. DPT Program Two in Oklahoma, USA exposed Year I students to experiential ethical learning with a Buddhist Abyss and participation in meditation with students from other disciplines. In Year II, students interacted with Agriculture faculty on the farm to experience farming/ranching culture for firsthand perspectives on rehabilitation for farmers/ranchers post injury. Year III students completed a capstone case study on clinical collaborations across healthcare disciplines in the form of patient team meetings, co-treatments, referral solicitations, and discharge planning. DPT Program Three in Islamabad, Pakistan collaborated with Program Two and Hasselt, Belgium for learning mentorship/collaboration across the curriculum. IPE integration involved collaborative learning across disciplines to ensure students gained skills to collaborate as a team in future clinical settings. This IPE focus included areas like Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Sustainable Developmental Goals, Genetics, Prosthetics/Orthotics, Professional Ethics/Administration, and a Capstone Project.
At graduation, 100% of students in Program One reported being moderate/well prepared to communicate effectively and establish a safe/effective/collaborative plan of care with all stakeholders including interprofessional team members. Program Two students reported 100% satisfaction on course evaluations and post-course reflections with exposure to IPE, increased levels of confidence in interactions with physicians/other healthcare professionals, and improved ability to ethically defend physiotherapy clinical decision-making before an IPE team. Program Three adoption of IPE has resulted in encouragement of students from different health professions to work together, thereby enhancing ability to deliver team-based, patient-centered comprehensive care and evidence based clinical decision-making.
IPE is critical if academic programs want graduates to successfully engage in IPC practice in the clinic for quality patient care/improved patient outcomes. However, IPE should be introduced gradually and progressively throughout the physiotherapy curriculum in an experiential format to maximize learning and retention. Collaborations between educational programs should be encouraged.
The strategies presented by the three DPT programs across the globe may be adapted with modifications by any physiotherapy program willing to commit to interjecting IPE opportunities for their students across their physiotherapy curriculum.
Global mentorships
Interprofessional collaboration
