The proliferation of the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus across the globe in 2020 produced a shared trauma internationally of unprecedented devastation, disruption, and death. At the same time, the pandemic has been a transformation catalyst accelerating the implementation and adoption of long overdue changes in healthcare education and practice, including telehealth and virtual learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare at a crossroads, either viewing it as a temporary situation that requires short-term solutions, or as a major disruption that presents opportunities for innovation for sustainable development and transformation. As COVID-19 transitions from pandemic to endemic, we have a unique opportunity to leverage lessons learned that can foster healthcare transformation through innovation, forward thinking, and interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP). With the changing landscape of higher education and healthcare, IPECP leaders need to reflect on and implement ‘Forward Thinking and Adaptability’ and ‘Sustainability and Growth’ in their IPECP approaches and strategies to achieve the Quintuple Aim. To capitalize on this opportunity and based on a recent publication by InterprofessionalResearch Global, this paper explores and debates (from a global perspective) the impact and application of healthcare education and practice transformation on IPECP with the goal to identify best practices in integrating and sustaining IPECP and building a resilient workforce.
Author Bio(s)
Hossein Khalili, BScN, MScN, PhD, FNAP, President, IPR.Global; Senior Associate Dean of Academic Administration, School of Health Sciences, Winston-Salem State University, USA. Adjunct Research Professor, Western University
Jyotsna Pandey, MD PhD, Professor, Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Mt. Pleasant, MI; Interprofessional education Champion, Course Director, Director Community-Based Healthy Aging program, Professor of Pathology
Sylvia Langlois M Sc. Associate Director, Curriculum and Faculty Relations, Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare and Education, and Associate Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Vikki Park PhD., PG Dip., PG Cert., BSc (Hons), RN, RNT, FHEA. Assistant Professor of Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice, IPE Faculty Lead, Northumbria University, United Kingdom; CAIPE National Board Member; IPR.Global Communication & Marketing Working Group Member
Ryan Brown, MPH, MBA, PCP, FRSPH, Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University; Professional Practice Leader, Nova Scotia Health; CIHC Board Member
Alla El-Awaisi, MPharm, MSc, PhD Director of Clinical Operations and Engagement and Chair of the Interprofessional Education Program, QU Health, Qatar University, Qatar.
Kathleen M. MacMillan, B.Sc. in Pharmacy with Distinction, M.D. Candidate, Dalhousie University, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, Canada.
Shelley Cohen Konrad, Professor, University of New England, Portland, ME, USA; Director, Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education.
Brittany Daulton PhD, MS, Director of Evaluation, Interprofessional Practice and Education Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Chris Green PhD SFHEA, Professor and Director of Education, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, UK
Giray Kolcu, MD, PhD, Süleyman Demirel University, Head of Medical Education and Informatics Department, Süleyman Demirel University Vice Director of Institute of Health Sciences Turkey.
Charlotte McCartan PhD(c), MN, BScN; Coordinator, Physician Learning Program, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Canada
Gina Baugh, PharmD, Professor, Clinical Track, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, Director of Interprofessional Education, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center
Andrea L. Pfeifle, EdD PT FNAP, Associate Vice-Chancellor for IPECP, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine; President-Elect, National Academies of Practice
Lisa Wetzlmair, B.S.c., B.A., M.P.H, PhD, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK
Inci Kolcu, DDS, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Süleyman Demirel, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education and Informatics, Turkey.
Anthony Breitbach PhD, ATC, FASAHP, FNAP; Professor, Vice Dean, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Director-Athletic Training Program, Saint Louis University
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the InterprofessionalResearch.Global (IPR.Global), the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative (AIHC), and the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) for their support in the development of this Discussion Paper as the next step after the publication of the joint report by the group entitled,
Recommended Citation
Khalili H, Pandey J, Langlois S, Park V, Brown R, El-Awaisi A, MacMillan K, Cohen Konrad S, Daulton B, Green C, Kolcu G, McCartan C, Baugh G, Pfeifle A, Wetzlmair L, kolcu I, Breitbach AP. Forward Thinking and Adaptability to Sustain and Advance IPECP in Healthcare Transformation Following the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice.
2023 Dec 15;22(1), Article 18.
