IOM GLOBAL FORUM ON INNOVATION AND HEALTH ROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
The Institute of Medicine ‘Global forum on innovation and health professional education’ brings stakeholders together in an interdisciplinary effort to improve the education of health professionals, according to inspiration from the 2010 RWJ-IOM Future of nursing report and the 2010 Lancet Commission report on interdependent health professional education for the twenty-first century. Apart from stakeholders from the USA, there are some representatives from other continents. The Forum will have the task of applying an ongoing, multinational, multidisciplinary approach to proposing and exploring promising innovations for achieving recommended reforms in the instructional and institutional spheres. The Forum will use two to three major workshops per year to inform its meetings; one to highlight issues, perspectives or innovations relevant primarily to higher income countries; one to highlight subject matters more relevant to a lower income country; and, if resources allow, one to focus on global interdependency in education and work force development.
Objectives of the first meeting were formulated as follows:
Clarify scope of the work and purpose of IOM-Forums and Innovation Collaboratives.
Develop a shared understanding of focus and scope of work of the Forum and what unique opportunities are available (or could be made available) to interested members.
Engage in discussions around a possible framework for work of the Forum.
Discuss potential topics for workshops over the next year.
Agree upon a preliminary way forward.
The meeting was preceded by an introduction to The Lancet report, presented by Prof. Julio Frenk (Harvard University).
REFLECTIONS
This Global forum on innovation in health professional education will probably inspire important documents for the future of health professional education. The focus on ‘transformative learning,’ preparing not only ‘scientists’ or ‘professionals’, but also preparing ‘change agents,’ is an important new perspective to improve quality and equity in the health systems of the twenty-first century. Moreover, the concept of ‘interdependence’, operationalized in interprofessional learning, will prepare health professionals to confront the challenges of society with problems of chronic conditions, increasing globalization, issues of access to health care and continuous quality improvement. It is important that participants from different continents can contribute.
EFPC POSITION PAPER ON INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (IPE) TRAINING FOR INTEGRATED PRIMARY CARE PROFESSIONALS
During conferences, meetings and discussions, we have stated a strong need to formulate a clear vision on contemporary and future education of professionals. In our view, it is important to facilitate inter professional and multidisciplinary collaboration in primary health care by education and training of primary care professionals. However, we also perceive that professional education is fragmented, often outdated, or there is a mismatch of competences to population and patient needs. We do not expect education to change by itself.
How can we clarify interprofessional education (IPE)? In our view it refers to occasions when students from two or more professionals in health and social care learn together during all or part of their professional training, with the object of cultivating collaborative practice for providing client—or patient-centred health care. Will this be sufficient to meet the needs in primary care? Alternatively, should we focus more on multiprofessional education, interdisciplinary learning, shared learning, etcetera? Different professionals to fulfil patients’ health care needs will mostly provide today's and future primary health care. Therefore, IPE and associated concepts are a concern for EFPC. It will enable professionals to deliver better-integrated care and offer the patient health care in a ‘flowing process.’ Ms. Loes van Amsterdam of the Dutch Jan van Es Institute will coordinate this new EFPC Position Paper and input on the first draft from EFPC members is welcomed very much.