TTUHSC Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) Experience
Title of the Interprofessional Practice and Education Experience
Systems Thinking in Chronic Disease Prevention: An Interprofessional Didactic Project
Experience Status
Approved
Approval Date Range
5/30/2018 - 3/17/2026
Criteria for Registering the IPE Experience
- Involvement of two or more professions.
- Opportunities to learn about, from, and with one another.
- Significant interactivity between participants.
- Teaching and/or learning about interprofessional practice and education is intentionally integrated into the activity. Interprofessional practice and education constructs are targeted with IPE learning objectives are also discussed, trained, reviewed, and/or assessed as part of the learning activity.
IPEC Core Competencies Targeted by this IPE Experience
- Roles and Responsibilities: Use the knowledge of one’s own role and team members’ expertise to address individual and population health outcomes.
- Teams and Teamwork: Apply values and principles of the science of teamwork to adapt one's own role in a variety of team settings.
Quintuple Aim Strategic Goals Discussed in this IPE Experience
- Improving patient and/or population health outcomes
- Reducing the cost of care
Detailed Description and Purpose of the IPE Experience
Public health in essence is a system of collaborative professionals working as a team towards improving population health. A system is a set of interactions that are interdependent and work together to perform the required functions needed to achieve a system's purpose. Systems thinking is the discipline of seeing all elements in a given environment as interrelating. It considers the impact of actions in one part of the system on other parts of the system and views change as a process rather than a snapshot in time. Medical and health science educators have recognized the value of systems thinking in understanding disease processes. In public health, the importance of understanding systems as interrelated parts of a whole cannot be overstated. Key skills associated with systems thinking include challenging mental models, identifying structural and professional relationships, predicting changes if processes continue, determining drivers of output, and anticipating the impact of external forces.
The aim of this interprofessional didactic activity is to target concepts of systems thinking, including interconnectedness, collaboration, synthesis, feedback loops, causality and systems mapping, to enhance population health outcomes. The activity will be a course assignment within one of the Masters in Public Health (MPH) core courses, GSPH 5315: Organizational Leadership and Management.
For this group assignment, students will be required to apply systems thinking to the prevention of a chronic disease. The components of the assignment include:
1. Small groups of 2-4 students decide on a chronic disease state. They will then be required to draw a causal loop diagram and discuss the system dynamics of the multiple factors and various health professionals that entail chronic disease prevention.
2. Each student in the group must then interview a health professional outside their profession that would have a role in the systems-based approach. Example professions can include but are not limited to, counselors, dentists, epidemiologists, nutritionists, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, and other health professionals).
3. Based on the results of the interviews, the roles and responsibilities of all the health professionals involved in the specific chronic disease prevention will be included in the causal loop diagrams.
4. Small groups will then modify their causal loop diagrams to represent the interprofessional health system of the specific chronic disease prevention.
5. The small groups will then write a 2-3 page interpretation and discussion of the causal loop diagram(s), which includes a discussion of collaborative relationships between professions and potential impact on the chronic disease state.
6. This activity will also include individual discussion postings on the knowledge students have learned about the various health professionals and working with an interprofessional team.
The learning objectives for this activity and assignment are that at the end of the assignment, students will be able to: • Discuss the importance of systems thinking in public health• Describe the challenges faced by various health professions in regards to prevention efforts • Discuss the importance and benefits of working in an Interprofessional collaborative team on chronic disease management.
Level of IPE Integration
- 1. Foundations Level: Consists of introductory learning activities that provide learners with the opportunity to interact and learn from professionals and peers from disciplines beyond their own. The desired outcome for activities offered at this level is that learners will gain a deeper understanding of their profession while gaining an appreciation for the perspective and roles of other professions.
Attendance or Participation in the IPE Experience
- Course requirement
- GSPH 5315: Organizational Leadership and Management.
- Program and/or school requirement
- Online MPH program requirement
- IPE Credit
Frequency of the IPE Experience
- 01. Annually
- This activity will be conducted at least once per academic year.
Duration and/or Timeline of the IPE Experience
- 06. greater than 11 hours
- The activity will encompass two weeks of the course.
Campus and/or Location of the IPE Experience
Average Number of Learners Participating in the IPE Experience
- 01. up to 50
- Approximately 22 - 25 students per semester, with the course being offered at least once each academic year.
Target Audiences
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Audiences
School of Health Professions Audiences
School of Medicine Audiences
School of Nursing Audiences
School of Pharmacy Audiences
School of Population and Public Health Audiences
- Public Health, MPH Traditional
- Public Health, MPH Online
Other
counselors, dentists, epidemiologists, nutritionists, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, and other health professionals
IPEC Core Competencies for the Experience
IPEC Core Competency: Values and Ethics
- VE04. Value diversity, identities, cultures, and differences.
- VE01. Promote the values and interests of persons and populations in health care delivery, One Health, and population health initiatives.
- VE05. Value the expertise of health professionals and its impacts on team functions and health outcomes.
- VE06. Collaborate with honesty and integrity while striving for health equity and improvements in health outcomes.
IPEC Core Competency: Roles and Responsibilities
- RR03. Incorporate complementary expertise to meet health needs including the determinants of health.
- RR01. Include the full scope of knowledge, skills, and attitudes of team members to provide care that is person-centered, safe, cost-effective, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
IPEC Core Competency: Communication
- C01. Communicate one’s roles and responsibilities clearly.
IPEC Core Competency: Teams and Teamwork
- TT03. Practice team reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- TT07. Share team accountability for outcomes.
Type of Learner Assessment Administered
- Formative assessment
- Self-reflection with facilitated debrief
- Written reflection
Formal Assessment Protocol used, if Applicable
Type of Program Evaluation Administered
- Activity feedback/evaluation – from faculty, facilitators, and/or preceptors
Provide Details on the Potential Sustainability of the IPE Experience
- Integrated into a course and/or experiential rotation requirements
- Integrated into program curriculum
- This IPE learning activity will be integrated into the MPH curriculum. It is included as an
assignment in a core, required course in the program.
Provide Dedicated Funding Sources:
- Decentralized school or program funding
Roles of Faculty/Staff in the IPE Experience:
- Instructors and/or preceptors
- Faculty will serve as instructors in this learning activity.
Additional Information About the IPE Experience, if Necessary
IPE Experience Organizer
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Contact Person(s) and Contact Information for the IPE Experience
Rubini Pasupathy
MPH Online Program Director
rubini.pasupathy@ttuhsc.edu