Learning Together to Work Together: Interprofessional Education for Students in a Primary Care Setting in Chile

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interprofessional teamwork and collaboration are considered key elements for improving patient outcomes; however, few reports of interprofessional education experiences in primary care directed to students are found in the literature. We describe an educational program in primary care for medical, nursing, and psychology students and report the findings of their perceptions of learning. METHODS: To develop team-working skills and learn family-oriented collaborative care in primary care, the authors designed an interprofessional educational course in Santiago, Chile. Medical, nursing, and psychology students, in their last year of training, formed four groups and conducted weekly home visits or behavioral health counseling sessions. A family physician, nurse practitioner, social worker, and psychologist supervised each clinical activity in their area of expertise. After the clinical encounters, students and preceptors discussed comprehensive health plans and reflected on the interprofessional experience of care. At the end of the course the students evaluated the course and the methodology using quantitative and qualitative methods. RESULTS: A total of 72 students participated in the course (58 medical, eight nursing, six psychology students) from October 2009 to December 2010. The students ranked high global satisfaction, high achievement of course objectives, and high approval of the methodology used with quantitative and qualitative measurements. CONCLUSIONS: This interprofessional course for medical, nursing, and psychology students generated positive experiences for the participants. More research is needed to support interprofessional education programs in primary care. (Fam Med 2013;45(4):272-5.)