CIPECP’s mission is to educate future health care practitioners in true team-based care. CIPECP currently works with faculty across all six LSU Health Schools (Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Public Health, Graduate Studies) to develop interprofessional education opportunities for health care students. This is a significant accomplishment because traditionally each of the six schools provided health education in silos. The CIPECP has assisted in the development of more than ten interprofessional educational activities for students over the past year as well as secured commitments from all six schools to develop a two-year longitudinal experience focused in team-based care for students beginning September 2017.
All health professionals should be educated to deliver patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team, emphasizing evidence-based practice, quality improvement approaches, and informatics.
Institute of Medicine
Advances in science and technology have fostered interprofessionalism, along with the growing understanding that patients benefit from teams with members who mutually respect one another, effectively communicate, collaborate together and coordinate patient care. Many health conditions come from a variety of causes and/or affect several body systems. Patients no longer have “only” a dermatology issue or “just” need a prescription. Health professionals are aware they all must work together to provide the best possible care for a single patient.