Self-efficacy and empathy development through interprofessional student hotspotting

ABSTRACT

In the United States, similar to other high-income countries, patients with complex health and social needs comprise a disproportionate amount of healthcare costs. Despite their frequent inpatient and emergency room usage, these patients receive ineffective care for their medical, social and behavioral needs, which often result from social determinants of health (SDoH). As the international dialogue on the importance of SDoH on health outcomes peaks, innovative strategies for teaching learners how to deliver care to patients with complex health and social needs has emerged as a top priority for health professions training programs. Student hotspotting, in which interprofessional student teams provide personalized, hands-on, intensive team-based interventions largely targeting the SDoH to patients with complex health and social needs, is one such program. We conducted a 7-month pilot study to explore whether students who participated in student hotspotting experienced an increase in their knowledge of, comfort working with, and empathy toward medically and socially complex patients. Preliminary results indicate that student participants exhibit greater self-efficacy and empathy than a control group of nonparticipating students, with the gap in the latter widening over time. While further study is warranted given limitations in the sample size and from attrition, this pilot study suggests that student hotspotting may be an effective way to better prepare our healthcare workforce to provide patient-centered, team-based care to patients with complex health and social needs and to reduce healthcare expenditures.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional collaboration
• interprofessional education
• interprofessional evaluation
• interprofessional outcomes
• team-based care
• patient-centred practice

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

“The Impact of the Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Learning Collaborative on Student Participants” study was determined to be exempt by The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Thomas Jefferson University on 12/28/2017; Control #17E.692.

Additional information

Funding

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sub-Award. Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Learning Collaborative. Selected as one of four national hotspotting hubs. 6/2017 – 5/2019;

Notes on contributors

Lauren Collins

Lauren Collins, MD is an Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College and Associate Provost of Interprofessional Practice and Education at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Shoshana Sicks

Shoshana Sicks, EdM is the Director of Curriculum and Administration at Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Richard W. Hass

Richard W. Hass, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9545-4800.

Tracey Vause-Earland

Tracey Vause-Earland, PhD, OTR/L is an Associate Professor, Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Julia Ward

Julia Ward, PhD, RN is an Associate Professor, Jefferson College of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Courtney Newsome

Courtney Newsome, BA is a Program Coordinator of Advanced Programs at Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mishael Khan

Mishael Khan, BS is a medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.