Filling a Gap - Interprofessional Education and Interagency Partnerships with Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Educate Learners About Substance Use and Addictions
- Innovative Approaches to Interprofessional Pedagogy and Education Science
The prevalence of substance use concerns has increased substantially in the past decades with prescribing practices of opioids throughout the United States. Drug overdose death rates has more than tripled since 1990. From 2016-2017, Indiana had the third-highest drug overdose rate increase behind New Jersey (29%) and Nebraska (26%). The use of opioids and opioid deaths drives a drug epidemic in Indiana.
To capitalize on educating pre-professional, health, social, and public health learners about substance use concerns and addiction, Indiana University’s (IU) Interprofessional Practice and Education Center created partnerships with three regional Area Health Education Centers and local community partners to deliver an interactive program, Breaking the Cycle of Addiction: A Collaborative Recovery Experience.
The goal of the program was created to fill a gap in health professions students curricula and address substance use and addiction by educating and training the future workforce. The partnerships provided a strategic design for interprofessional education and interagency collaborations where partners shared knowledge, experiences, and professional advice to learners. This workshop utilizes expert facilitation, participant workshop workbooks, and team-based learning.
Learning Objectives
- Identify how AHEC Centers (or regional education centers) can collaborate with Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) Centers to deliver novel IPE sessions for health professions learners.
- Determine strategies to deliver IPE and interagency collaborative sessions with community partners and health professions earners.
- Articulate an idea for health professions learners to engage in an IPE session specific to a public health concern.
References
- 1. CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality. CDC WONDER, Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2018. https://wonder.cdc.gov
- 2. National Conference of State Legislature's Prevention of Prescription Drug Overdose and Abuse Legislative Tracking: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=13853
- 3. Opioid Overdose. U.S. Prescribing Rate Maps. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/maps/rxrate-maps.html
- 4. Fowkes, Virginia FNP, MHS; Blossom, H. John MD; Mitchell, Brenda; Herrera-Mata, Lydia MD. Forging Successful Academic–Community Partnerships With Community Health Centers: The California Statewide Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Experience. Academic Medicine 89(1): p 33-36, January 2014. | DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000069