Interprofessional education at Laval University: Building an integrated curriculum for patient-centred practice

Abstract

The Laval University Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Nursing, and School of Social Work, in partnership with the Vieille-Capitale Health and Social Services Centre in Quebec City, obtained funding from Health Canada to design, implement, and evaluate an integrated interprofessional education (IPE) program for family medicine, nursing, and social work students and for professionals from those professions working in primary care. The program was developed around four components and produced the following outcomes: a 45-hour undergraduate curriculum; IPE practical training for professionals, supervisors, residents and trainees in primary care teaching settings; a continuing education model for professionals based on a coaching approach, and; information and communication technology resources. After briefly describing the implementation process, educational content, and evaluation highlights of each component, the integrated program is discussed with respect to the inter-area complementarities and coherence with the conceptual dimensions that have guided the development of the program: IPE, collaboration, and collaborative patient-centered practice. The positive evaluation outcomes, the sustainability of the educational activities, and the enthusiasm of the different partners led to the creation of the Collaborative Network on Interprofessional Practices at Laval University and its affiliated health and social services clinical network.

Keywords:

• Interprofessional education
• curriculum development
• program implementation
• primary care
• interprofessional collaboration

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Health Canada for their financial contribution to this project. We also acknowledge the contribution of Diane Morin, Jean Maziade, Francine Pelletier, Michèle Morneau, Francine Borduas, Isabelle Côté, Jean Ouellet, Renée Hamel, Catherine Hébert and Louis-François Dallaire. We also wish to extend our gratitude to all the students, faculty members and health professionals who participated in the project.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.