Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training 2.0: A collaborative team-based approach to delivering care

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional collaborative education and practice has become a cornerstone of optimal person-centered management in the current complex health care climate. This is especially important when working with older adults, many with multiple chronic conditions and challenging health care needs. This paper describes a feasibility study of the Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training 2.0 (GITT 2.0) program focused on providing interprofessional care to complex and frail older adults with multiple chronic conditions. A concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design facilitated program implementation and evaluation. Over three years (2013–2016), 65 graduate students from nursing, midwifery, social work, and pharmacy participated along with 25 preceptors. Participants were surveyed on their attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration pre and post-intervention and participated in focus groups. While attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration did not change quantitatively, focus groups revealed changes in language and enhanced perspectives of participants. Based on the evaluation data, the GITT 2.0 Toolkit was refined for use in interprofessional education and practice activities related to quality initiatives.

KEYWORDS:

• Collaboration
• Geriatric team training
• home care
• interprofessional
• medication management
• older adults

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the preceptors from the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, as well as the nursing, social work, and pharmacy students who participated in this initiative.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of this article.

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at here.

Notes

1. While the term ‘interdisciplinary’ is used here and is part of a title that cannot be altered, given the focus on health care professions, the preferred term is interprofessional.

2. The GITT 2.0 Toolkit is accessible at https://consultgeri.org/gitt-2.0-toolkit. The GITT 2.0 Toolkit provides a range of resources to develop or enhance interprofessional education and practice related to quality initiatives.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study came from the Nursing Education, Practice, Quality and Retention program funded through the Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, 2013-2016 [Grant no. UD7HP26049].