Inter professionalism – Germany (bvmd)

Name of the activity: Inter professionalism

Country/NMO: Germany (bvmd)

Program: Medical Education Systems

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Capacity Building (Training or Workshop)

General description:

In collaboration with the executive board of different health care student associations (pharacists, psychologists, dentists, vetererinairies, physicians) we work for an interprofessional holistic healthcare system where all disciplines work toether efficiently, economicly and harmonicly. Started with national cooperation and structure we plan to extend the project to local facultys and include more disciplines like nurses and physical therapists. Workshops and trainings provide space for interprofessional discussion and connection.

Focus area:

Students’ involvement in medical education | Curriculum design/development

Problem statement:

The project Inter professionalism faces the struggles of interprofessional collaboration in the clinical setting and focuses on better communication. An increasing specialisation of the different health professions leads to a lack of hollistic treatment of patients. Results can be miscommunication, stress and the possibilty of endangering the patients’ wellbeing. We work to reestablish a better exchange and collaboration between healthcare professionals who used to work as a team earlier. Our main goal is a better treatment outcome under the aspects of need, economy, efficiacy, safety and a good work environment.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

The main target group includes all health professionals such as pharmacists, nurses, therapists, psychologists, dentists, vetererinaries and physicians. It could also be broadened to public and global health workers, biologists, medical engineers and other sectors. Each of the health care sectors will benefit from the project, as well as the patient.

Objectives and indicators of success:

Interprofessional interaction aims to tear down barriers and prejudices to reach an harmonic and economic healtch care team. The exchange and collaboration between different health care sectors should be reached by solving the existing problems between those groups. Starting with the students a long term change in their minds should be initiated.
Starting with a small number of different professions, the process of understanding and accepting the others’ profession should begin and finally lead to trusting and asking for help if needed.

Methodology:

In germany, there is a national contract between the members of INSIG (Interprofessional Health Comittee) This includs the BPHD (pharmaceutic students), BdZM (dentistry students), bvvd (vetererinaries), PsyFaKo (psychology students) and bvmd (medical students). Monthly online-meetings give the possibility of connecting, exchanging ideas and developing the further Plan of Action. Focus lies on the work on curricula and health policy such as medical education.
Methods of public influence are policy papers and press statements.
Locally we began to establish interprofessional congresses, workshops, tutorials and training and we aim to imply lectures at university.
The current workshops face especially prejudices, but we plan to develop clinical case simulations and interprofessional training in the next months.
Our wokrshops on national NMO Meetings and congresses were a great success so that we want to extend the offer to more and other events.

Plans for evaluation:

Evaluation is based on questionaires with prejudices and facts about other health care professions, which are handed out to all participants before and after a workshop. The reevaulation after taking part in an interprofessional training shows the mental development of the participants.