An Interprofessional Model for Technology in Practice

Meraz, Rebecca L.

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Rebecca L. Meraz, MSN
Health and Legal Studies, El Centro College, Dallas, TX

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to discuss incorporating informatics as the bridge to build competencies in interprofessional collaborative practice to improve care to the underserved.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to discuss an interprofessional model to prepare advanced health practitioners to implement informatics technology into practice.

The increasing average lifespan and an expanding Texas and national population are driving the demand for health care services. There will be fewer advanced practice nurses, however, to care for the increasing numbers of aging, and a greater proportion of these Texas citizens will represent underserved populations. One out of four Texans does not have public or private health insurance and this rate has remained the highest in the U.S. over the last 7 years. With the growth of the uninsured, underinsured, and medically underserved populations, there is a need for innovative and interprofessional educational models to prepare healthcare practitioners to organize and deliver care primary care through the use of technology and informatics.

In the fall of 2013, Texas Woman’s University implemented an innovative interprofessional curriculum model incorporating informatics as a bridge to build core competencies in interprofessional collaborative practice to improve care to the underserved. The interprofessional curriculum model is designed for Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapist, and Nutritionist. The goals of the interprofessional informatics curricular model are to prepare health practitioners to: (a) serve as resources and leaders to evaluate and implement informatics, information science, and technologies into primary care practice, (b) utilize informatics to enhance health promotion and primary care of underserved populations. The following is a presentation of the implementation of an interprofessional model for informatics education by Texas Woman's University.

See more of: Rising Stars of Scholarship and Research Invited Posters
See more of: Invited Posters