Is it safe to leave my Patient at home? Inter-professional, community based learning.
Conferences
| Title | Type |
|---|---|
| AMEE Conference 2017 (Helsinki) | Poster presentation |
Background
Joint-training of clinicians working in intersecting care areas can be a powerful way to help develop cross-professional insights
and knowledge. This poster describes a novel educational evening, which saw GP trainees and South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) staff coming together to learn and reflect on practice-related topics. The aim of the educational evening was to enable participants to engage in shared learning activities using facilitated scenarios, based upon common cases.
What we did
We secured funding for a pilot from Health Education Wessex (HEW). Two SCAS practitioners and two GPs wrote five clinical scenarios of commonly seen cases by both practitioners in the community setting.
Our aims for the session were to:
• increase awareness of community services /pathways
• build professional relationships
• promote understanding about differences in clinical practice and
• reflect on risk management when leaving the patient at home.
Forty-seven (25 SCAS staff / 22 GPs trainees) attended the evening, and worked in mixed SCAS /GP groups, which were facilitated by educators from both professions.
The format of the event:
• a meal for participants on arrival
• a plenary introduction and overview
• participants were then allocated into five mixed groups
• there were five facilitators - 3 GP and 2 SCAS and
• facilitators stayed with the same case, and the groups rotated round rooms.
Evaluation
All participants completed pre-session information sheets about their expectations and post-session evaluations of their
experience. Participants valued the evening and reported that it broadened knowledge and insight about the clinical work of the other
group. This included the nature of work and, more interestingly, it highlighted differences in care management practice. Participants reported that the case-based scenarios were relevant, and a good way to focus discussion and learning. It highlighted in particular different approaches to risk management and uncertainty.
Impact
The session has helped shape planning future GP/SCAS collaborative learning events, and there is interest from the South West Ambulance Service for something similar. A further event has been planned for qualified GPs to include time with 999 call takers and a session on role of the ambulance service.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY …. we identified some learning needs for both ambulance and GP staff which would improve the patient care pathway.
Conclusion
The event helped participants to better understand each other’s roles and to learn together in an interactive and engaging way. The educational evening demonstrated that shared learning can be powerful and generate insights for trainees and SCAS clinicians. Participants also made suggestions as to how the event might be developed for the future.
Feedback
"A welcome opportunity to work together"
"Recognition that 'we are all on the same team'”
"Understanding differences in care management practices"
"Case-based learning is valuable"
"Learning enhanced by the event being multi-disciplinary"