An Interprofessional Approach to International Mission Trips

10/26/2010
PAEA Annual Forum
October 2010
Abraham K, Carlson R, Quincy B, Schempp A, Trompeter J
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia
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Describe the process of developing and organizing
a university-sponsored medical mission trip.
Outline the goals of the medical mission trip for
the program, students, and patients.
Delineate the roles of the different program faculty
and
d students
t d t
Discuss the effectiveness of the interprofessional
approach in the clinic setting
Identify the common challenges encountered in
international medical mission trips
The birth of an idea
In 2005, campus chaplain communicated a desire for
a health professions mission trip
ƒ Meetings began in September 2005 for a trip in May
2006
ƒ Chaplain had a contact with El Ayudante, a missions
agency in Nicaragua
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Initial goals
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Students evaluate patients with faculty oversight
Include pharmacy students and faculty
Planning
g Process
Recruited PA and pharmacy students, faculty and
community physicians
ƒ Consulted with NGO regarding the common types
of health problems and the medications needed
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Lessons learned
Need 9 months of planning
Need for leadership team
ƒ Fundraising challenges
ƒ Specify medicine and supply donations
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Given the opportunity, students rise every time!
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Pre-trip
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Meetings
à Information session
 Distribute applications & covenants
à Team
 Lessons on Nicaraguan culture & language
 Medical training
 Team building
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Medications and Supplies
à Inventory donations and make purchases
à Packing day
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Execution
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Divided into 3 teams of 16 or 17
à 8 PA students; 2 pharmacy students; 2 PT students
à 1 PA, 1 Pharmacy and 1 PT faculty member
à 1 physician and 1 pastor
Transported medications and supplies via individual
suitcases
ƒ El Ayudante planned the schedule and provided
food, lodging, interpreters and ground transport
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Lessons learned
Students do not like paperwork
Collect money before committing to airline tickets
ƒ Collaboration among students benefits all experience
levels
ƒ Organize every detail but be flexible
ƒ Cooperation with Ministry of Health requirements
aids with Customs clearance
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Provide quality health care and
patient education
Provide personal and professional
growth
Utilize faculty role-modeling
Foster interprofessional approach
Enhance cultural competence
Promote sustainable change through
preventative health education
Maintain collegial relationship with El
Ayudante
Enhance the standing of El Ayudante with the
y
community
Support El Ayudante’s bridge with Nicaraguan
Ministry of Health
Inspire life-long service to underserved populations
Exposure to epidemiologic variations in low resource
settings
Provide quality healthcare to patients with limited
access
Benefit from faculty role-modeling
role modeling
Increase their understanding of the role of other health
care disciplines in the health care team
Increase confidence in their knowledge base and
clinical skills
Build lasting relationships with peers and future
colleagues
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Be received with
dignity and
compassion
Receive accessible
health care at no cost
Receive education on
preventative
measures to improve
health
To have positive
interaction with
health care providers
Shenandoah University is United Methodist Affiliated
Affiliation with El Ayudante
One spiritual life leader for the trip
Universal inclusion
Pre-trip planning
ƒ Ice breakers, thought provoking questions
During trip
ƒ Facilitate reflections, personal development and
processing
ƒ Devotions
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Pre-trip planning
Fundraising Events
Educate participants
during pre-trip
meetings
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ƒ Packing Day
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One PA faculty member per team
Pre-trip planning
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Overall organization and supply order, coordination with NGO
During trip
ƒ Team
T
leadership
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ƒ Clinic logistics
ƒ Coordinate with the interpreters, pharmacist
ƒ Supervise/precept the PA Students
ƒ Facilitate debriefing sessions
One pharmacy faculty member per team
Pre-trip planning
ƒ Oversee packing day, medication order, formulary
During trip
ƒ Supervise pharmacy and pharmacy students
ƒ Monitor medication needs between teams
ƒ Purchase medications in country
ƒ Coordinate treatment plans
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One PT faculty member for trip
Pre-trip planning
ƒ Application Process, order PT supplies
During trip
ƒ Supervise/precept PT students
ƒ Coordinate with NGO for clinic locations
ƒ Provide training for local healthcare personnel
ƒ Facilitate debriefing sessions
ƒ Coordinate treatment plans
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Prior to Trip
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During the trip
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Raise funds, packing day, pre-trip meetings
Provide p
patient care
Support peers
ƒ Participate actively in all activities
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Physician Assistant
ƒ 3 Pairs of 1st and 2nd year
ƒ Triage & direct patient care
Pharmacy
ƒ 2-3 students per team
ƒ Dispense medication &
therapy education
Physical Therapy
ƒ 6 students per trip
ƒ Provide therapy in hospitals, schools for children with
special needs, and medical teams
ƒ Provide education for local healthcare personnel
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INTERPROFESSIONAL CLINICAL
EDUCATION
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Collaborative approach to health care practice
will improve health care delivery
One way to accomplish this:
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Integrate
g
additional interprofessional
p
training
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opportunities in education for health professionals
à Institute of Medicine, 19881
à Shugars et al., 19912
à Council on Graduate Medical Education, 19943
à American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 19954
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Simulate and facilitate interprofessional
practice
Promote awareness/understanding of other
health professions’:
Roles
R l and
d responsibilities
ibiliti
Scopes of practice
ƒ Educational preparation
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Promote appropriate professional interactions
Expand critical thinking skills/abilities
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Difficult to coordinate
courses/schedules
across programs
Multidisciplinary ≠
I t
Interprofessional
f i
l
Difficult to simulate
clinical environment
in the classroom
Courses
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Patient-Centered Cases
à Western University of the Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
à Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science,
Chicago, IL
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Basic
B i Science
S i
and
d Research
R
h courses
Interdisciplinary Patient Care Experiences
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Community Health Centers/Free Clinics
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Mission Trips
à Wachs et al, 1998; Brown et al, 2003; Goodrow et al, 2008
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Students/professionals:
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observed other disciplines providing patient
management
performed patient examinations collaboratively
communicated regarding most appropriate
interventions for specific patients
shared cases during debriefing sessions
socialized during travel, meals, accommodations,
cultural activities, etc.
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Participants had an
improved awareness
of/respect for the unique
skills and scope of practice
of each discipline
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“I really understand what
it is that a PT has to offer
offer”
“I was so thankful to have
the pharmacists there to
check my dosing. I was
really impressed with
how they made drug
substitutions based on
availability and even
compounded right there
in the middle of nowhere
”
Participants had increased comfort
level with interprofessional
communication
“Traveling to Nicaragua with multiple
disciplines made me realize how
important it is to work together to
fulfill the patients’ needs. As we
worked
k d side
id b
by side
id with
i h the
h PA
students, it made it easier to refer
patients as well as discuss possible
diagnoses in order to quickly develop
a plan of care. The PA and pharmacy
students took the time to teach me
about examinations and how to decide
on the different forms of medication
appropriate for each patient.”
Participants were more likely to
make appropriate referrals.
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“I was challenged with
opportunities to intervene with
physical therapy that I would
never have thought of if I had not
been working side by side with
my peers in that specialty.”
“I am very thankful to have had
the opportunity to work so
closely with PT students and
pharmacy students, and I hope
that I am more aware of when a
referral would be appropriate.”
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Patients received more comprehensive care
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“My experience with the PT and pharmacy students
in Nicaragua allowed me to observe first hand how
integrated our approach can be when choosing
treatment options for patients. As a second year PA
student, I had focused on more medical care up until
that point. I felt that we were able to give more
complete care to the people of Nicaragua, whereas
years before, all we could offer for back pain or other
orthopedic injuries was NSAIDs and counseling.”
Cost
Time
Logistics
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Financing8-11
Accepting health risk9
Managing stress9
Accepting limitations8,9
g appropriate
pp p
Utilizing
skill
set, experience,
responsibility8,9
Overcoming language and
cultural barriers9
Accepting direct and
indirect costs9
Ensuring improved care for
host community9
Maintaining moral
obligation and ensuring
“First Do No Harm”9,10
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Addressing gaps in local
healthcare9
Maintaining standards of care
in community11
Understanding limitations of
acute focus11
Understanding the training
level and experience of
providers9
Coordinating logistics9
Facilitating orientation of
participants9
Explaining mutual
expectations8-11
Providing chronic disease
management and follow up
care11
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Ensure health disparities are not exacerbated
or exploited9
“Patients must always be treated as ends in
themselves,
h
l
not means to another
h end”
d”10
Maintain goal of truly benefiting host and
evaluate whether that is being achieved8,10
Promote partnering with community rather
than medical tourism10,11
Work with existing medical and public
health infrastructure10,11
Develop long-term partnerships with locals
who want to help and need external help to
function10,11
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Find “local champion”10
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Encourage mutual and reciprocal benefits9,11
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Promote stability: faculty, host, location8
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Reevaluate frequently:8 Are goals still being
reached and how?
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1.
2.
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5.
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Using guiding principles and defined goals
helps overcome the challenges and involved
process of developing a successful medical
mission trip. An interprofessional team
approach
h provides
d better
b
patient care within
h
the limited scope. The end result is a mutually
beneficial experience to patients and
participants.
Institute of Medicine. The future of public health. Washington,
DC: National Academy Press;1988.
Shugars D, O’Neil E, Bader J. America: Practitioners for 2005,
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Council on Graduate Medical Education, US Department of
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American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Position
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P Townsend T,
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Suchdev P, Ahrens K, Click E, Macklin L, Evangelista D,
Graham E. A model for sustainable short-term international
medical trips. Ambulatory Pediatrics. 2007;7: 317-320.
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9. Crump JA, Sugarman J. Ethical considerations for shortterm experiences by trainees in global health. JAMA.
2008;300(12):1456-1458 (doi:10.1001/jama.300.12.1456)
10. Wall LL, Arrowsmith SD, Lassey AT, Danso, K.
Humanitarian venture or ‘fistula tourism?’: the ethical perils
of pelvic surgery in the developing world. International
Urogynecology Journal. 2006;17:559-562. (doi:10.1007/s00192005-0056-8)
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