As I reenter clinical practice on a per diem basis during my "preferment," I am reminded of how many people it takes to accomplish a single patient outcome, with a lot of work done behind the scenes. April is National Interprofessional Healthcare Month, designated in 2016 by the National Academies of Practice. Workforce diversity includes fostering interprofessional collaboration. The World Health Organization (WHO) framework on interprofessional education and collaborative practice can be simply stated. Local healthcare needs are identified, following which health and education systems provide interprofessional education to healthcare professionals. These learners become accustomed to working collaboratively before entering practice, which strengthens the health system and optimizes health services.1 This concept has always been an integral part of nursing curricula.
I recall the community health course in my undergraduate program. Dealing with the needs of one family over two semesters involved working with other nurses, several physicians, a pharmacist, a social worker, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a community center leader, other administrators, support staff, and the parents of a 9-month-old infant to improve his health. As a nursing student, I relied heavily on an exceptional professor and other remarkable persons who patiently guided me through all processes.
IPEC
The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) has developed a detailed framework, with roots in the WHO framework, for training interprofessional students.2 Students need to master four competencies: value/ethics, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork. Students learn mutual respect and shared values, roles and responsibilities, and the strengths of each profession as well as communication with patients, families, communities, and professionals in other fields. Healthcare and policies are planned, delivered, and evaluated through teamwork to ensure safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable healthcare for everyone. A valuable teaching methodology to help students achieve these competencies is a simulation where they can practice working together and receive feedback from faculty and classmates. Ideally, simulation sessions are followed by experiences in direct patient-care settings with students and members of multiple professions.
Acknowledging the DNP
April is also the month we recognize the important work done by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) related to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) preparation. This issue contains three articles exemplifying this emerging standard. Amanda St. John, DNP, FNP, and colleagues discuss a four-step approach to the diagnosis and evidence-based treatment options for fibromyalgia. Danielle Andrusko, DNP, NP-C, and Catherine Paradiso, DNP, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, present a strategy for NPs to improve collection of family health history to identify risk factors for genetic diseases, including cancer. Virginia Reising, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, and colleagues describe how a collaborative care model was used to integrate behavioral and primary healthcare by addressing the social determinants of health to improve health disparities. The Nurse Practitioner journal team congratulates all APRNs engaged in projects or research that improve quality of care and patient outcomes.
Who is on your team? Interprofessional collaboration works.
Jamesetta A. Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP, FAAN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]
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