Abstract
Background: Integrated care is integral to effective healthcare delivery, yet health professions education currently lacks the preparation for health professionals to lead transformative changes. This research introduces a holistic framework designed to reshape health professions education in response to the dynamic needs of global health systems, rooted in insights gained from an extensive mixed-methods stakeholder consultation on health system transformation, addressing the critical need to bridge the gap between education and the evolving realities of healthcare practice.
Target Audience: This framework is tailored for educators, patient-partners, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and researchers committed to realigning health professions education for health system transformation.
Engagement: We surveyed 72 stakeholders globally with a vested interest in health systems and health professions education (28% response rate) and analyzed 23 interview transcripts. Members of a patient-partner advisory board reviewed the proposed framework.
Research Methodology: Our research unfolded in a two-phase, sequential, exploratory mixed-methods study. Phase I involved a scoping review to understand the current state of health system transformation in health professions education. In Phase II, we conducted a mixed-methods stakeholder consultation, combining a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews. Analyzing data with SPSS and reflexive thematic analysis, we derived a framework to guide the education of health professionals in health system transformation.
Results: we propose nine elements for a framework for health system transformation in the education of health professionals to achieve quintuple aim:
1. Embed in a Learning Health System
2. Bridge Education and Health Systems
3. Implement a Set of Common Competencies
4. Develop Roles for Health Professionals at Micro, Meso, and Macro Levels
5. Engage with Patients and Communities
6. Develop an Interprofessional Approach
7. Educate Faculty
8. Foster a Culture That Supports Transformation -Psychological Safety
9. Promote Education for Life
Aligned with the Quintuple Aim, our framework aims to improve healthcare quality, enhance population health, reduce costs, improve the work-life of healthcare professionals, and ensure a satisfying patient experience. This comprehensive approach contributes to the transformation of health professions education for health system transformation.
Learning for an International Audience: International conference attendees with expertise in integrated care can enrich the development of a framework on health system transformation in health professions education by providing global perspectives, sharing best practices, offering interdisciplinary insights, contributing policy recommendations, emphasizing patient-centered perspectives, advocating for technology integration, proposing evaluation metrics, and sharing workforce development strategies.
Next Steps: The next steps in this research involve refining and validating the proposed framework through working with partners in health professions education and health systems incorporating feedback from international experts and disseminating the findings to guide the global transformation of health professions education for health system transformation to achieve quintuple aim.