Date Presented 03/27/20
This study examines the opinions on the development of an experiential learning model to treat patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). The model of utilizing student-run, university-based clinics has displayed better or comparable quality of patient care than traditional healthcare clinics. This model of care could meet several academic and professional goals of students as well as programs as well as impact community engagement and improve care for this population.
Primary Author and Speaker: Angie Reimer
PURPOSE: Currently, more than 5.3 million individuals in the U.S. live with a lifelong disability as a result of TBI (CDC, 2015) and an estimated 1.1 million have a disability due to stroke (Mozaffarian et al., 2016). The widely appreciated impact of these conditions on the performance of valued occupations, as well as an expected increase in survivor prevalence, necessitates the development of evidence-based, novel models to provide direct patient care. The model of utilizing student-run clinics has displayed better or comparable quality of patient care than traditional healthcare clinics. This model of care could meet several academic and professional goals of students and programs as well as impact community engagement and improve care for this population. While there is published research generically discussing the benefits of student-run clinics including the use of students from multiple medical professional programs, there is little research on the use of this type of model used in a clinic to treat ABI exclusively. The purpose of this study was to examine academic administrators’ opinions regarding the development of an experiential learning clinic to treat patients with ABI.
DESIGN: This study utilized a quantitative descriptive design.
PARTICIPANTS: A national convenience sample of 181 senior academic administrators of medical professional programs. This study recruited participants from the following professional programs: (a) medicine; (b) physical therapy; (c) occupational therapy; (d) speech language pathology; (e) pharmacy; (f) nursing; (g) physicians assistant; and (h) social work.
METHOD: Electronic mail addresses of senior academic administrators were collected through a web search of their professional organizations and university websites. The survey included multiple choice and open-ended questions regarding current practices in interprofessional education, service work, and realistic participation in an experiential learning clinic for people with ABI. The benefits and barriers to this alternative model of care were also queried. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: 87% of participants reported that their programs incorporate some type of service work. The most common service work types were community events, health screens, pro-bono clinics, and international service work. 76.1% of participants stated that they currently incorporate interprofessional education programs (IPEs), with 62.2% of this subgroup indicating that this IPE activity was only within their university, and 35.6% stating that they collaborate with other universities. When asked about desired skill acquisition for students, common responses included communication, understanding other disciplines, gaining clinical skills and improving professionalism. Barriers to participation in this model of care included faculty time, budgetary constraints, and scheduling of faculty; benefits for institutional participation included increased student experience, community engagement, and opportunities for IPE.
CONCLUSION: Many universities participate in service work as well as IPEs; however these activities are typically completed within their universities only. Participants indicated that experiential learning clinics for ABI could meet students’ and programs’ academic and professional goals, benefit community engagement, and improve ABI care. This research is impactful and timely because of the increased need for students to be exposed to direct patient care within academic coursework. This exposure prior to academic fieldwork rotations may better prepare students for these experiences and result in improved outcomes. We expect that this information will directly impact clinical practice and education.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Report to Congress on Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Epidemiology and Rehabilitation. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. Atlanta, GA.
Mozaffarian, D., Benjamin, E. J., Go, A. S., Arnett, D. K., Blaha, M. J., Cushman, M., . . . Fullerton, H. J. (2016). Executive Summary: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2016 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 133(4), 44.
Lie, D. A., Forest, C. P., Walsh, A., Banzali, Y., & Lohenry, K. (2016). What and how do students learn in an interprofessional student-run clinic? An educational framework for team-based care. Medical Education Online, 21. doi: 10.3402/meo.v21.31900.
