Second Life® Project Development as a Venue for Interdisciplinary Collaboration

2010 ◽  
pp. 239-248
Author(s):  
Susan Toth-Cohen ◽  
Pamela R. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Interdisciplinary Team ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Project Development

The increasing complexity of health service delivery, along with rapid growth of the older population, increased survival of premature births and serious accidents, and retirement of baby boomer healthcare workers have created a critical need for health care professionals who can function as team members and leaders who collaborate to deliver effective, individualized care. Yet, while collaboration between disciplines is considered an ideal, many barriers impede its implementation, including geographic isolation and limited information exchange opportunities (Kilgo & Bruder, 1997). As a result, students in health disciplines frequently are educated without exposure to the professionals with whom they will work when entering the workforce. The need for interprofessional education was highlighted by concerns noted by the Committee on the Health Professional Education Summit for the Board of Health Care Services of the Institute of Medicine in 2003, that reported a major disconnect between the isolated professional education approach in health care and increasing expectations for interdisciplinary team-based care. The Center for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education indicates that benefits of such an educational approach can cultivate closer collaboration between professions, organizations and service users, which can improve quality of care (Center for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education, 2002). The ability of health-related programs to implement interprofessional project-based learning is often hampered by distance, time and programmatic constraints. Virtual worlds such as Second Life can help address these constraints. Virtual worlds like Second Life® (SL) provide unique venues for fostering collaboration by closing the gaps created by distance and lack of information exchange. In this chapter, the authors describe the process of collaboration by occupational therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP) students and faculty in developing an educational event in the virtual environment of SL. The event planning and implementation provide an example of project-based learning (Donnelly & Fitzmaurice, 2005) and interdisciplinary community-building that provides insights and “lessons learned” with application to future project development in virtual worlds. The authors discuss the applications of project-based learning for interdisciplinary team building, describe student and faculty roles and specific steps in planning, management, and production of an event for current and prospective OT and SLP students, and analyze challenges and supports in project implementation

scholarly journals A Comparative Review of Canadian Health Professional Education Accreditation Systems

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vernon R. Curran ◽  
Lisa Fleet ◽  
Diana Deacon
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Health Professional Education ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Comparative Review ◽  
Canadian Health

Canadian governments and various stakeholder groups are advocating greater interprofessional collaboration amongst health care providers as a fundamental strategy for enhancing coordination and quality of care in the health care system. Interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centred practice (IECPCP) is an educational process by which students/learners (or workers) from different health professions learn together to improve collaboration. The educational system is believed to be a main determinant of interprofessional collaborative practice, yet academic institutions are largely influenced by accreditation, certification and licensure bodies. Accreditation processes have been linked to the continuous improvement of curricula in the health professions, and have also been identified as potential avenues for encouraging educational change and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the characteristics of the national accreditation systems of select Canadian health professional education programs at both the pre- and post-licensure educational levels and to show how these systems support and/or foster IECPCP. A review of the educational accreditation systems of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, occupational therapy and physiotherapy was undertaken through key informant interviews and an analysis of accreditation process documentation. The results of this comparative review suggest that accreditation systems are more prevalent across the health professions at a pre-licensure level. Accreditation at the post- licensure level, particularly at the continuing professional education level, appears to be less well established across the majority of health professions. Overall, the findings of the review also suggest that current accreditation systems do not appear to promote nor foster interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centred practice in a systematic manner through either accreditation processes or standards. Through a critical adult learning perspective we argue that in order for traditional uni-professional structures within the health professional education system to be challenged, the accreditation system needs to place greater value on interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centred practice.

Effects of an Interprofessional Project on Students' Perspectives on Interprofessional Education and Knowledge of Health Disciplines

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 189-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Jutte ◽  
Fredrick R. Browne ◽  
Marie Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Athletic Training ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Health Care Professions

Context: Interprofessional education (IPE) is encouraged in health care education in the hope that it will improve communication among future health care professionals. In response, health professional education programs are developing IPE curricula. Objective: To determine if a multicourse interprofessional (IP) project impacted students' knowledge and views on other health care professions, as well as their attitudes toward IPE. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Four university classrooms. Patients or Other Participants: Eighty-one undergraduate students (32 men, 49 women) from 4 introductory courses (2 athletic training sections, 41 students; 1 health administration section, 19 students; and 1 nursing section, 21 students) participated in 2 surveys and an IP project. Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants completed a modified Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire. The faculty assigned students to an IP group with representation from each discipline. Groups were instructed to produce a presentation on an assigned health care profession. After completing the project, students completed the same modified RIPLS questionnaire. Means and frequency were calculated. Quantitative data were analyzed with analysis of variance followed by Tukey post hoc testing when appropriate. Results: After the IP project, students from all disciplines reported an increased knowledge regarding nursing, health administration, athletic training, and other health care professions in general and how their discipline differed from other health care disciplines. All students agreed that they should practice communication with other health care disciplines. Other perceptions related to IPE did not change. Conclusions: Undergraduate athletic training, health administration, and nursing students who completed an IP project reportedly increased their knowledge of health care disciplines and increased their appreciation for practicing communication among health care disciplines. Future studies should assess how increasing basic knowledge of health care professions may impact the integration of advanced IPE concepts later in one's professional education.

scholarly journals An Introduction to Interprofessional Education for First Semester Doctoral Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Trojanowski ◽  
Jillian Woodworth ◽  
Anna Rose Wiencek ◽  
Amy Yorke
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Health Care Practitioner ◽  
Entire Group ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Positive Results

Purpose: Interprofessional education (IPE) engages health care professional students in order to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of a health care practitioner. IPE can be challenging to execute; however, exposing students early in their professional education in IPE has positive results. Occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) are health care professions who commonly work with each other. The purpose of this study is to describe the process and outcomes of implementing an IPE experience with first year doctoral OT (OTD) and PT (DPT) students completed within the first six weeks of the first semester of their respective programs. Methods: Ninety-one (31 OTD, 60 DPT) students were placed in small groups and discussed professional identities and interprofessional collaboration among OT/PT during pre-professional observations. Students completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) pre-post-meeting and a written reflection post-meeting. Results: Ninety-one students completed the Pre-RIPLS survey, while only 58 Post-RIPLS were completed (13 OTD, 45 DPT). The response rate was 63.7% overall (41.9% OT and 75% PT). A statistically significant difference was found between pre- to post-test RIPLS score among the entire group (p = 0.013), and the DPT students (p = 0.020), but not the OTD students (p = 0.414). Written reflections included the following themes: influence of personal experiences leading to choice of profession, observations shaping knowledge of the professions, similarities and differences between the two professions, and future collaboration. Conclusion: An IPE activity can be implemented early in the professional education of OTD/DPT students with positive results.

Exploring Interprofessional Educational Possibilities

2010 ◽  
pp. 367-381
Author(s):  
Elinor Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Interprofessional Working ◽  
Interprofessional Teaching

This chapter reports a pilot research study investigating the possibility for Interprofessional education in a 3D multi user ‘virtual world’ known as Second life® (SL) (Linden Corporation). Following a brief introduction and context of interprofessional education (IPE) in health and social care, the pilot research project is reported. The goal was to gather insights into IPE and teaching and learning in virtual worlds. An action research approach enabled the author to collaborate with students and other experienced users of SL. Drawing on emerging interprofessional, constructivist and activity theories and insights from the research project, this chapter makes suggestions for utilising immersive worlds for interprofessional teaching and learning. It identifies the need for further research focusing on the vital ingredients necessary for interprofessional learning in virtual worlds, and a requirement to ensure that patient/client/service users remains the focus of the students’ learning, which is the essence of successful interprofessional working.

scholarly journals Attitudes toward interprofessional education and collaborative practices in Mongolia

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Azjargal Baatar ◽  
Sumberzul Nyamjav ◽  
Oyuntsetseg Sandag
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Care Team ◽  
High Rate ◽  
World Health ◽  
Chi Square

From the perspective of activity theory, it can be argued that the major challenge in relation to implementing interprofessional education (IPE) could be embraced as contradictions that may lead to change. Patients have complex health needs and typically require insight from more than one discipline to address issues regarding their health status (Lumague et al. 2006). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that institutions engaged in health professional education and training consider implementing IPE in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs (WHO, 2010). The purpose of this study was to identify the needs of IPECP for health care professionals, faculty members, and students. Methods: The survey instrument contained four scales to evaluate faculty attitudes toward IPE and teamwork, adapted from the methods of Curran et al. (2007). Each scale asked respondents to rate their attitudes toward statements on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree; 2=disagree; 3=neutral; 4=agree; 5=strongly agree). The initial factor extractions were performed by means of principal components analysis. To define the model structure more clearly, an exploratory factor analysis using varimax rotation was conducted. The level of significance was p<.0001 for all tests. Results: As shown in Table 2, the Kaiser–Meyer-Olkin index was 0.902, indicating sampling adequacy, and the Bartlett Sphericity Chi-Square index was 2246.5 (p <0.0001). Cronbach’s alpha for the 14 items was 0.731, revealing a high rate of internal consistency. The modified Attitude toward health care team scores (ATHCTS) questionnaire was categorized into four factors: “Quality of care,” “Team efficiency,” “Patient-centered care,” and “Negative factors.” Conclusion: Findings suggest that the positive attitude of health care professionals, faculty members and students towards IPE indicates the need for IPE training.

scholarly journals Teleportation of Objects between Virtual Worlds: Use Case: Exer-gaming

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Otte ◽  
Loren Roosendaal ◽  
Johan F. Hoorn
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Real World ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Use Case ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Virtual Objects ◽  
Accepted Standard

The Internet and virtual worlds are increasingly become a part of our daily lives. Currently these two are not capable of exchanging information, largely because of the lack of a global accepted standard for information exchange. Interaction between the real world and virtual worlds is mostly limited to classic mouse and keyboard devices, and exchange of information between different virtual worlds is virtually non-existent. We present a Use Case in the Metaverse1 project to increase motivation for continued physical exercising for the elderly by connecting real-world devices to virtual worlds, and allow information exchange through the teleportation of virtual objects from Second Life to our custom virtual biking world created in the Logos3D engine. We show that the principle of exchanging information between real and virtual worlds is simple, but the solution is non-trivial and requires not only a globally accepted standard to facilitate information exchange. From the results of a focus-group study, we show that a virtual environment does have the capability to increase motivation for exercising and that users do respond to a virtual exercise coach.

scholarly journals Promoting Interprofessional Collaboration: A Pilot Project Using Simulation in the Virtual World of Second Life

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Lee Davis ◽  
Gylo Hercelinskyj ◽  
Lynette M. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Learning And Teaching

Background: Contemporary health services increasingly call for teamwork and interprofessional collaboration, though undergraduate curricula provide few opportunities for students to develop the necessary skills. This article presents the results of an innovative pilot project focusing on providing an interprofessional clinical learning experience for students using the virtual world of Second Life.Methods and Findings: A pilot project was implemented and tested on a small group of students studying at two institutions in four healthcare programs. Qualitative descriptive methods were employed to analyze semi-structured interview transcripts. The evaluation revealed that participants were easily able to manage the technologies associated with Second Life and the learning and teaching strategies were engaging and useful. While the project provided students with an opportunity to learn more about the role of other health professionals and their contribution to patient care, it will require some development before it achieves in full the aim to promote interprofessional collaboration. Conclusions: Simulation in virtual worlds such as Second Life offers promise in the area of interprofessional education.

scholarly journals Virtual Worlds in Health Care Higher Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance M Johnson ◽  
Allison A Vorderstrasse ◽  
Ryan Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Health Care Education ◽  
Care Education ◽  
School Of Nursing ◽  
Duke University

Advances in information technology bring progress in distance education. Online education programs are pervasive, however, only recently has the Web 2.0 brought about interactive, dynamic distance based health care education in virtual worlds (VWs). VWs allow for real time representations of environments, manipulable objects and interactions between avatars or bots, creating a sense of realism and presence that is absent in traditional, flat online education. Presence has been linked to knowledge transfer and better learning. Second Life®, currently the largest virtual world, has been used in higher education, including health care education at the Duke University School of Nursing. Students have indicated higher levels of satisfaction with the learning environment and quality of instruction in this VW compared to other online learning systems. There is a need for further research in online education in VWs, and room for growth in applications of VWs in education.

scholarly journals Introducing Interprofessional Education to Foster Patient Centred Health Care : A Quasi Experimental Experience in Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Md Humayun Kabir Talukder ◽  
Md Nuruzzaman ◽  
Tahmina Nargis
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Health Professional Education ◽  
Student Life ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Medical Technologists

Introduction: Interprofessional education is considered to be an innovative and useful concept to accelerate the effort of transforming health professional education under health systems perspective. Generally Interprofessional Education (IPE) occurs when two or more professionals belong to different professional groups learn together through mutual interaction with the purpose to improve collaboration and the quality of care. The key for IPE is that the learning must be interactive. It is an important step in advancing health professional education for many years and has been endorsed by the Institute of Medicine as a mechanism to improve the overall quality of health care.Methods: Realizing the importance of IPE, a quasi experimental study was undertaken and conducted in Bangladesh in May 2014. Sample size was 32 out of which 15 teachers (Such as Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Lecturer and Instructor) and 17 students of medical, dental, nursing, medical technology and allied health science institutes. All the participants voluntarily attended 5 sessions on basic concept on IPE, role delineation, communication, teamwork & team building and patient centered care followed by group work and group activities within three consecutive days. After those 5 sessions, views of the participants were sought through self administered structured questionnaire after data entry and analysis.Results: According to the study, 100% participants viewed that medical, dental, nursing, and medical technologists should have few common sessions in their student life while about 90.7% respondents opined that those sessions will develop positive relationship among them, which will help to feel and honor each other’s professional responsibilities viewed by all the respondents. It was also revealed that 96.9% respondents viewed that IPE sessions in student life will help to reduce silos in professional life. Better team work among doctors, nurses and medical technologists will ensure patient centered better health care was viewed by 100% respondents. Study recommended introducing IPE in Bangladesh to foster patient centered health care.Conclusion and Recommendation: The study concluded with recommendation that specific sessions for IPE should be incorporate in the under graduate education curriculum of the health professionals during their academic period and also during in- service period at workplace as part of their professional development to promote quality of care.Chatt  Shi Hosp Med Coll J; Vol.15 (1); Jan 2016; Page 3-7

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