Using interprofessional dementia learning opportunities to prepare the future healthcare workforce: findings from a pilot study.

Using interprofessional dementia learning opportunities to prepare the future healthcare workforce: findings from a pilot study. J Interprof Care. 2018 Nov 29;:1-4 Authors: Davison E, Housden S, Lindqvist S Abstract Nearly 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia. Communication difficulties linked to this illness demand that all healthcare professionals are prepared to meet the needs of this group of service users. In response to this, the United Kingdom government is calling for professionals to acquire a basic (Tier 1) Dementia Awareness (DA) qualification. As healthcare students need to engage in interprofessional learning (IPL), this report describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an initiative to link the DA qualification to an existing IPL module delivered to first-year healthcare students (IPL1). A DA learning package was developed by a group of educators from a range of professions to ensure an interprofessional focus. It comprised of a set of practical exercises that students completed during and after IPL1. Sixty students evaluated the DA learning package by completing a post-intervention survey. 57 students rated it or very helpful, in enhancing their knowledge of how to care for a person with dementia, while 3 students rated it as average. Two themes emerged from open-ended questions, which highlighted the importance of: i) learning to work together; and ii) blended learning. Students also s...
Source: Journal of Interprofessional Care - Category: Health Management Tags: J Interprof Care Source Type: research