The QU Health Interprofessional Education Committee (IPEC) in Qatar University, which consist of representatives of all the different healthcare schools in Qatar, have organized its fifth interprofessional activity (IPE) for this academic year (2021/2022) on Introducing Interprofessional Education- Person Centered Care virtually by Microsoft teams. 62 students and 9 facilitators attended the event. Students from different healthcare programs in Qatar University participated in this activity. Professions involved were Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, Pharmacy, and Public Health.
This IPE activity aims to introduce the concept of interprofessional education. The session started with an introductory video by Dr. Lily O’Hara (Lead Facilitator, Associate Professor of Public Health from the College of Health Sciences), followed by introducing the team members. Then discovery interviews were conducted to learn about, from and with other health professional disciplines within the group. Finally, a case study was introduced to students about the mental health of a 23 years old female. They looked at her vital signs, nutrition intake, and physical assessment and addressed the issues of mental health and services available for her. They also discussed the role of each health profession and how they can be involved.
Dr Lily O’Hara said: “Bringing students from different health disciplines together to learn about, with and from each other is an incredibly valuable experience for them. In this event, we had a case study of a young woman whose mental, physical and social health and wellbeing are impacted by a number of social factors. This case study was highly relevant to young people today, as they are dealing with many similar issues. By working together interprofessionally, students were able to think about these complex issues more holistically, and understand the role that each health professional may play in contributing to a system that can address these issues in a more coordinated and supportive way.”
Professional Year 1 pharmacy students from the College of Pharmacy: Muneera Ali Abdullah said: “The IPE sessions bring to light the interconnected and interdependent nature of the health care sector and is pivotal in strengthening the relationship between the various healthcare sectors.” IPE session was very productive. We had the opportunity to meet students from different health colleges such as public health, nutrition, physiotherapy. We tried to solve a medical scenario by looking at it from different aspects. This experience taught us how IPE can promote trust and understanding among different professionals, to achieve collaborative patient-centered care”.
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY