Abstract
Ireland is experiencing structural changes and shifting the model of care away from acute centric models, however, there was no academically accredited programme available to educate workforce in the principles of integrated care (IC).
As new models of IC are being designed, implemented or scaled up, new workforce competencies are required. This presentation is addressed to anyone interested in developing, delivering and evaluating academically accredited educational programmes on the topic of IC. Insights and recommendations for establishing and evolving programmes such as this are outlined, providing an excellent example of how higher educational institutions can support the development of new workforce models.
The programme development was undertaken in collaboration of Munster Technological University (MTU) in Ireland and International Foundation of Integrated Care (IFIC). There were four phases of development:
1.Subject matter experts were consulted on content and learning bundle curation. The curated content and modified learning artefacts of IFIC’s introductory course on IC were reviewed and salient parts utilized to build programme content.
2.Feedback was sought from learners participating in the inaugural IFIC introductory course (n=68).
3.A targeted group (n=13) of system leaders in Ireland with responsibility for national workforce development, clinical design, innovation, and system change were consulted to get a strategic view on content, design and institutional support.
4.The programme proposal was accredited by MTU and approved to commence in January 2022.
A Special Purpose Award in the Principles of Integrated Care is a 12-week, online, post-graduate programme, which runs twice a year since January 2022 with over 100 graduates to date. Each session is divided into a theoretical and discussion part and lasts 3.5 hrs.
The programme has five learning outcomes based on the nine Pillars of IC and is delivered through synchronous and asynchronous learning components. The course faculty includes national and international experts in IC.
Students’ feedback is collected after each session, and a final evaluation is completed in week 12. Content analysis of the feedback data revealed that the students find the programme relevant to their practice and increasing their confidence in providing IC. Based on the students’ feedback, modifications are applied to each new wave of the programme.
The 4th intake of the programme is due to commence in September 2023 (there is a waiting list in place). The course team will continue to evaluate and improve programme to ensure it is of high relevance for the students. The course team will organize an IC symposium in October 2023 to provide a platform for all current and past students to collaborate and share their experiences in IC.
As global healthcare recognises the benefits of IC, our experiences can offer useful insights into co-designing, delivering and evaluating academically accredited educational programmes on the topic of IC internationally. We share learning from our MTU and IFIC collaboration (co-design, deliver and evaluation phase); we discuss the main factors contributing to the success of the programme from a students’ perspective, and we report common challenges highlighted by the students and the programme team.