STAT!: The Need for Interprofessional Education in the Emergency Department

This lightning talk will present a unique model of interprofessional education (IPE) which places learners in teams to evaluate and manage clients accessing care through the emergency department (ED). The Duke IPE Clinic provides learners with multi-faceted opportunities, which include collaborative learning using a team-based approach and faculty from doctor of medicine, advanced-practice nursing, ABSN nursing, doctor of physical therapy and the physician assistant program while providing direct patient care.

The IPE clinic was successfully launched in 2015 as an evening extension of the Duke University Hospital ED to provide services to patients who present with lower acuity symptoms, many of whom come with primary musculoskeletal issues. In addition to IPE, the clinic seeks to offload some of the burden of care from the ED regarding lower acuity patients who would likely experience inordinately long wait times to see providers. The clinic serves as an opportunity for learners to be directly observed providing patient care, including learners’ abilities to obtain a history, perform a physical exam, generate differential diagnoses and create management plans which involve the patient and family in shared decision-making. The ED offers a unique environment to learn systems-based practice and to understand and appreciate the logistics of a large health system. Learners address social determinants of health and local economic issues, particularly for those that access healthcare through the ED with non-emergent issues.

The patient is at the center of the team and provides a common goal to provide truly collaborative care to achieve optimal outcomes. Learners engage in real time dialogue with other health care professionals, patients and families which lead to reduced wait time and increased patient satisfaction. Post-talk discussion points will look to critique the Duke IPE Clinic design, theoretical framework and learner/faculty training and evaluation methods.