Interprofessional Education Teams in Vulnerable Communities: The Evaluation Challenge

This abstract describes a multi-method evaluation approach for the Interprofessional Care Access Network (I-CAN) demonstration project.  Utilizing interprofessional student teams, I-CAN is an innovative education and practice model  providing care coordination to vulnerable clients in underserved communities,  improving population health outcomes and reducing health care costs. Previously, the nursing, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry students had clinical experiences with little intentional alignment of learning activities in community settings.  Using a community based participatory approach, I-CAN  coordinates faculty practice, community partners and students, building the capacity for working in teams, by focusing on the client’s priorities for health and or/quality of life improvements.  For the evaluation, instruments were developed/modified to measure client quality of life, health literacy, life management skills, experience of care and satisfaction; student , faculty and partner team cohesion, collaboration, and communication; and population level health goals. Client data are collected on intake and at each encounter; student data collected pre and post term; faculty and partner data collected annually.   A qualitative directed content analysis examined a sampling of the student event logs for emerging themes on social determinants of health, client interventions, and outcomes.  The combined evaluation approach, enhanced the project's understanding of the complexity of the challenges facing underserved communities and their residents, and was used to identify population level interventions, guide faculty and partner development, and increase collaboration between the academic and community partners. Introducing interprofessional student teams into community settings, requires the development of unique methods & instruments, reflecting community partners and population needs.