English version

Interprofessional Clinical Studyunit in Kolding, Denmark – The ICS project.

 A cooperation between University College West, University College Lillebaelt, University of Southern Denmark and Kolding Hospital, a part of Hospital Lillebaelt.

Background:

The complexity of today’s treatment and patient care increases the demands for interprofessional cooperation in the Danish Health System. During pre graduate education health professionals must be qualified to work interprofessionally and they must develop competences, that make them able to identify, express, explore, revise and solve various problems. However, Looking internationally at the concept of interprofessional education – IPE, there is need for more research in the outcome of IPE.

 Aims of the ICS project:

The aim of the ICS project in Kolding is to evaluate and thereby document and estimate the advantages and disadvantages of education in an interprofessional studyunit compared with education in an ordinary hospital ward.

The ICS project addresses students from six health professions: medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, radiography and medical laboratory science. The overall aim at the studyunit in Kolding is to give students from the above lined professions the opportunity to work and to learn together in an interprofessional practice-based context.

The students will:

-          Cooperate with other professions in planning goal for the patients rehabilitation

-          Cooperate with other professions in the daily work and activity for and with the patient.

-          Identify the specific professional role, responsibilities and competences of other professions related to the patient and to the students own professions role.

-          Assess and describe patients’ needs and problems explicit so that other professions can join in the dialog about aims and actions.

-          Join interprofessional meetings for all students, where aims and actions for the patients are planned.

Intervention:

A stay at the studyunit lasts 14 days and is based on practice-based learning. The Unit is placed on Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Kolding Hospital, a part of Hospital Lillebaelt and includes facilitators from each profession as supervisors. The students are responsible for planning and carrying out all relevant tasks for the patient with a view to learning with, from and about each other.

Methods:

Students included in the project are split into two groups: A and B. The A group has a 14 days placement at the studyunit. They will answer three questionnaires – one before the stay, one at the end of the stay and one final questionnaire at the end of their ordinary clinical education  some weeks after their stay at the studyunit. The group B does not go to the studyunit, but will before and after their ordinary clinical education answer questionnaires with the same questions as asked group A.

Besides evaluation on the outcome for students, the project evaluates on economical, technical and organizational factors.

Results:

The number of students to join the project was in 2008 expected to be 340. Data is collected from September 2008 until January 2010 and the results of the project are expected summer 2010.

Contacts: Programme manager Erik Vestergaard, erik.vestergaard@slb.regionsyddanmark.dk

Home page, written in Danish: www.studyunit.dk