UCQ launches Interprofessional Education project

Initiative in healthcare research is one of the key areas in which University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) demonstrates its commitment to enriching health and wellness in Qatar.

A key project currently running is the Interprofessional Education (IPE) project.

The IPE project focuses on enhancing healthcare delivery by training and educating healthcare professionals and students (the professionals of the future) in the benefits and strategies of interprofessional collaboration.

The project is motivated by the Qatar Interprofessional Health Council (QIHC) and generously funded through a 3-year National Priorities Research Program Grant (NPRP) from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

This project is directed to healthcare educators currently working in the Qatar system, and to students being educated in Qatar in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and research.

"The purpose of the IPE project is to identify how an interprofessional approach can enhance healthcare in Qatar and support the National Health Strategy," said Dr Brad Johnson, IPE project lead and former Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre at the University of Calgary in Qatar.

Interprofessional Education is a collaborative educational approach to healthcare education and delivery. Rather than envisioning healthcare delivery as being in the hands of separate groups of professionals, IPE enhances collaboration among professionals in all aspects of patient care, research, and administration.

It is a process that is promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a tool to improve healthcare systems. A recent WHO report concluded that IPE can produce a more efficient workforce, enhance healthcare systems and improve the quality of patient care.

"Heathcare delivery is collaborative by nature, and nurses are always integral to the coordination of healthcare teams," said UCQ nursing instructor Jason Hickey."Nurses spend the most time with the patients and work with all the professions. So it makes sense that UCQ, being a nursing school, is coordinating a project like this," Hickey added.

"The project has developed through stages," explained Dr Johnson.

URL:  http://www.qatar-tribune.com/viewnews.aspx?n=AF3A5F44-73DA-46E8-9C31-C2FBF8A5DFED&d=20140416