Interprofessional Communication to Improve Care of Underserved Patients Using an SBAR Voicemail
Background: Patients experiencing homelessness have a high risk for chronic medical conditions, a higher mortality rate than the general population and often have difficulty accessing and managing medications. For these reasons, it is important to incorporate experiences into health professions curricula so students are better prepared to provide medical care for these patients. The objectives of this study were to (1) Implement a simulated activity related to care of underserved patients, (2) assess pharmacy student perceptions of the activity, and (3) assess pharmacy students’ use of the SBAR technique to communicate medication recommendations.
Methods: Second professional year pharmacy students completed a simulated interprofessional (IP) activity to introduce socioeconomic barriers to care for underserved patients. Following the activity, students evaluated the medical profile of patient who had recently became uninsured. Students developed treatment recommendations and recorded a voicemail for a provider using the SBAR format. These communications were assessed for appropriateness of recommendation. Additionally, students completed a post-survey, including questions about perceptions of the activity and the interprofessional education competency (IPEC) self-assessment tool.
Results: Fifty-three students completed the activity and post-survey in Fall 2022. Most students communicated appropriate treatment recommendations using the SBAR technique (99% + 0.98). Most students agreed/strongly agreed to all IPEC self-assessment questions following the activity, including ability to deliver patient-centered IP healthcare (100%), respect patient privacy (100%), integrate knowledge and experience of other professionals to form decisions (98%), apply leadership practices that support collaborative practice (92.5%), respect cultures and values of other professions (100%), use strategies that improve IP teamwork effectiveness (100%), understand responsibilities of other professions (100%), and maintain competence in my own profession (100%).
Conclusion: This interprofessional simulation was well-received by pharmacy students. Students rated themselves highly on the IPEC self-assessment, and evaluation scores for SBAR communication were high. Additional activities to promote IP practice and advance communication skills with healthcare providers are being explored in the curriculum.
Reflections/Lessons Learned/Implications: Exposing students to underserved populations in health professional curricula is important so they are better prepared to provide appropriate treatment recommendations in clinical practice. Communicating with other healthcare providers using validated techniques such as SBAR is also essential to help prepare students for interprofessional practice.
