The power of interdependence: Linking health systems, communities, and health professions educational programs to better meet the needs of patients and populations

Abstract

Promoting optimal health outcomes for diverse patients and populations requires the acknowledgement and strengthening of interdependent relationships between health professions education programs, health systems, and the communities they serve. Educational programs must recognize their role as integral components of a larger system. Educators must strive to break down silos and synergize efforts to foster a health care workforce positioned for collaborative, equitable, community-oriented practice. Sharing interprofessional and interinstitutional strategies can foster wide propagation of educational innovation while accommodating local contexts. This paper outlines how member schools of the American Medical Association Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium leveraged interdependence to accomplish transformative innovations catalyzed by systems thinking and a community of innovation.

Keywords:

• Community-based education
• interprofessional education
• value-added roles
• team-based health care
• systems thinking

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their home institutions, fellow members of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, and the AMA for their support of innovation.

The AMA Supplement is sponsored and supported by The American Medical Association.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect American Medical Association policy.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded in part by the American Medical Association.

Notes on contributors

Richard N. Van Eck

Richard N. Van Eck, PhD, MA, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND, USA.

Heidi L. Gullett

Heidi L. Gullett, MD, MPH, Center for Community Health Integration School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, USA.

Sara M. Lamb

Sara M. Lamb, MD, School of Medicine University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

Helene J. Krouse

Helene J. Krouse, PhD, RN, School of Medicine University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX USA.

Lauren W. Mazzurco

Lauren W. Mazzurco, DO, Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, VA, USA.

Onelia G. Lage

Onelia G. Lage, MD, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.

Joy H. Lewis

Joy H. Lewis, DO, PhD, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ.

Kimberly D. Lomis

Kimberly D. Lomis, MD, Medical Education Outcomes American Medical Association, Chicago, IL, USA.