Phuture 13 2006

Message from IPSF The International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF) is pleased to present this year's Phuture Supplement addressing interdisciplinary collaboration. With the advent of the 1st World Medical and Pharmacy Students' Symposium (WorldMaPS), a renewed interest in interdisciplinary collaboration has been unearthed. Interdisciplinary collaboration comes in many forms, from integrating physicians and pharmacists to building comprehensive health care teams incorporating social work, physiotherapists, dentists and many more. Some universities have realised the importance of developing such collaborative relationships among student practitioners while they are in school. Other student organisations have taken matters into their own hands constructing relationships to develop interdisciplinary projects. Whether through formal academic programming or through the extra-curricular efforts of students, the collaborative efforts improve the communication within the health care network and improve the care we as health care practitioners provide to our patients. When the disciplines work together, the profession and the patient benefit.

This issue features authors from a variety of health care disciplines. Recognising the need to work together, we wish for further collaboration and development of interdisciplinary projects. We hope these ideas stimulate further creativity in collaboration and improvements in patient care.

Thank you for the hard work involved in these interdisciplinary projects and thank you for sharing your experiences with others that we may all grow stronger ties as health care practitioners.

Ellen Diedrichsen IPSF Chairperson of Pharmacy Education 2005-06

Mäori Health Week Interprofessional Learning Opportunity at the Auckland School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Janie Sheridan Professor John Shaw The School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Mäori - the indigenous peoples of New Zealand - make up around 15% of the New Zealand population. In New Zealand, the rights of Mäori are protected under the Treaty of Waitangi, a founding document signed by the British Government and Mäori leaders in 1840. The Treaty recognises the rights of Mäori to have their traditional concepts of health recognised and protected. The Treaty incorporates three principles designed to ensure that health services are delivered in partnership with Mäori, that Mäori are protected through self-determination, and that Mäori are able to participate in these activities.

Although in principle this should have ensured that Mäori have the same health status as non-Mäori, in fact Mäori in New Zealand fare significantly worse on many measures of health. For example, Mäori life expectancy is lower, the prevalence of disability is higher, and "avoidable mortality" rates are more than double those of non-Mäori. Furthermore Mäori are less likely to have seen a medical specialist in the previous 12 months, are less likely to have asthma medications prescribed and their blood pressure is less likely to be controlled.

Health care professionals in New Zealand have a duty to consider not just these disparities, but ways in which they can provide culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive, effective interventions to improve the health of Mäori. Health care in New Zealand is generally provided in a multidisciplinary manner. For these reasons, it is important that student health professionals learn to work in multiprofessional teams, and are familiar with the cultural issues associated with the provision of health care to Mäori.

At the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, there has been a commitment to delivering learning modules to mixed professional groups. The first of these innovative modules is Mäori Health Week. The introductory booklet for students undertaking this module (2nd year nursing, pharmacy and medical students) states: "Mäori Health requires both an understanding of population and individual health. Mäori Health Week is intended to reinforce and extend the opportunities you have to develop the skills, knowledge and empathy which will help throughout your programme, a difference to improving Mäori health outcomes. The learning experiences are intended to

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provide an opportunity for students from the medical, nursing and pharmacy programmes to learn together in order to reflect on Mäori health, how Mäori health issues are addressed by health services and the role and impact of health professionals in Mäori health".

Important themes of the week are: increased student cultural awareness, the development of culturally safe practitioners, cultural immersion exposure to Te Reo (Mäori language) and interprofessional team building.

The week comprises: Powhiri (ceremony and welcome) at Waipapa Marae (a traditional Mäori meeting house) Presentations on the Treaty of Waitangi and Mäori health status Daily Te Reo (Mäori) language classes Multidisciplinary small group problem-solving exercise Poster and oral presentations Closing ceremony and awards During the week, students work in multiprofessional teams. They are given a case study which acts as a trigger for students to discuss and present strategies that address the health issues represented with culturally appropriate practices.

The teams then present to a District Health Board team. Each group has a facilitator, who is not necessarily Mäori or an expert on Mäori health, but whose role it is to support the group. Groups also have access to cultural advisors who are senior Mäori within the university, the local health services and the local community. Their role is to advise students on cultural issues and to challenge misconceptions students may have about Mäori and Mäori health. At the end of the week, prizes are given for the most innovative and appropriate interventions.

The areas of health care covered reflect those where significant morbidity or disadvantage is experienced by Mäori: Meningitis Mental health Smoking related lung disease Diabetes Cardiovascular Glue ear Mäori Health Week has now run for four years. It is considered to be successful by staff and students; this is evidenced by both formal evaluation and informal feedback. The staff who developed the module has won a University of Auckland teaching Excellence Award.

Mäori Health Week has acted as a model for other interprofessional learning modules within the Faculty. Initiated two years ago, third year pharmacy, nursing and medical students now undertake a two day "Quality and Safety" module where they explore issues around medical and medication error. The focus is on a "no blame" approach to dealing with error, learning about how system failure is generally a root cause rather than attributing blame to any one individual.

In order to do this, students learn how to conduct root cause analysis. Other interprofessional learning activities include a joint medicine and pharmacy cost effectiveness project, and new modules are being explored for the future.

Mäori Health Week has been a resounding success, meeting the twin goals of allowing health sciences students to address their obligations to improve Mäori health in a culturally appropriate manner, in the context of an interprofessional learning environment. We hope that others will be interested in our approach, and welcome any enquiries.

Multidisciplinary Approach in Caring for the Underserved at a Student-Run Family Medicine Clinic Jon Merchen Adam Orsborn

In September of 1997 the Student Health Alliance Reaching Indigent Needy Groups (SHARING) clinic was developed by a medical student from the University of Nebraska - Medical Center (UNMC) to improve the quality of medical care for the underserved population in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

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The SHARING Clinic has since grown to become a necessary resource for many area residents and one of the premier learning sites for hundreds of students within the fields of medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant, nursing, medical technician, and family therapy. Seventeen students representing the various colleges serve as board members; this board governs the clinics with the guidance of faculty from each of the colleges.

The mission of the SHARING clinic is to provide high-quality, low cost health care to underprivileged populations in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, while providing a unique educational outlet for students of nearly every discipline at UNMC. The clinic is run and staffed by medical, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, pharmacy, physical therapy, clinical laboratory sciences, family medical therapy, medical nutrition, respiratory therapy, and bachelor of nursing students with the assistance of community and faculty health care professionals. This unique clinical experience allows patients to receive quality medical care at low or no cost and for students to learn valuable skills by reinforcing classroom knowledge in real-life situations.

Since its creation, the SHARING clinic has utilised the services of over 500 volunteers to provide medical care to over 1400 patients per year.

The clinics also have more than 30 faculty members who regularly volunteer their time to preceptor, and have 150 volunteer translator shifts per year filled. The SHARING Clinic is opened every Tuesday evening. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted.

The SHARING Clinic offers a great opportunity for University of Nebraska - Medical Center students from nearly every discipline to practice patient care first hand. It allows students to gain experience working directly with not only patients, but also with their peers and members of the health care professions. Additionally, student members of the health care team learn to develop the skills they need to become exceptional practitioners through the interactions with patients and with volunteer physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dieticians, and others, who donate their time to help students during clinic operations.

The SHARING Clinic is located in southeast Omaha in an indigent area where a fairly large portion of the citizens of the community do not have access to health care. The population is also quite dynamic in terms of cultural backgrounds and health care issues, which provides a very well rounded experience for the students. Approximately 30% of the patients that are seen at the clinic speak only Spanish; therefore, the clinic incorporates bilingual student volunteers to serve as interpreters to aid the other students and volunteers during the primary-care work-up and counselling sessions. Many times bilingual students are directly providing care for Spanish speaking patients.

The interaction between the students at the clinic is very unique in the sense that each student learns how they can help the students of other disciplines and how each member is a very important part of the team and necessary in providing the patients the highest quality care possible. The general process of clinic operation consists of a medical, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant student volunteer teaming up with a pharmacy student and seeing the patients.

During this visit they perform the examinations, obtain medication histories, and address any other concerns regarding medical issues and medication regimens. Following examinations, the student health care team presents the patient's case to a volunteer provider. At that point, a patient care plan is developed between the students and the providers and medication issues are handled with the help of the student pharmacist volunteers with a volunteer pharmacist providing guidance.

Patients obtain prescriptions in several ways. The clinic has a sample stock with a limited selection of medications; these samples are dispensed to the patients while they are at clinic. The student pharmacists assist patients in obtaining medications through medication assistance programmes. Lastly, patients can take written prescriptions to Hope Outreach Pharmacy, which is near the clinic; the cost of these prescriptions is billed the clinic.

The SHARING Clinic is an excellent chance for students of each discipline to learn more about patient care from each other and from guidance of experienced, licensed practitioners; equally important is the chance for this patient population to receive extraordinary care. By having nearly every member of each health profession represented at the

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clinic, patients get great overall care as well as having specific health issues addressed by experts in those areas. The differences in patient ethnic and social backgrounds truly makes the SHARING Clinic a diverse population allowing students to learn a great deal about delivering health care to specialised populations by exemplifying the multi-disciplinary approach.

Teddybear Hospital Project Interdisciplinary work becomes more and more important - We as students can make things happen!

Elisabeth Russe, MD Teddybear Hospital Project Coordinator Austria 2001-2006 IFMSA Alumni Relations Director 2005-2006 International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) lisa@russe.at

The Teddybear Hospital is a project run by medical students within the Standing Committee on Public Health of the International Federation of Medical Students' Association (IFMSA) and within the European Medical Students Association (EMSA) in cooperation with pharmaceutical students all around the world. It started as a nursery project and was adopted by medical students in the 90s. Publications show that the project continues to offer a feasible, effective opportunity to reach the community's children and their health information needs1 and that it significantly decreases the white-coat fear in children aged 3-62.

Idea and Goal The Teddybear Hospital targets children in the pre-school age (three to seven years old) with the goal of using a playful manner to reduce the fear of children towards a doctor's visit or hospitalisation. This allows children exposure to what it means to be in the hospital or visit the doctor without having to be patients themselves. By visiting the Teddybear Hospital, children can bring their stuffed animals and dolls along in order to get them treated by teddybear doctors (medical students) as well as teddybear pharmacists (pharmacy students). The students are specially trained by paediatricians, so at the same time it provides an opportunity for medical and pharmaceutical students to learn more about paediatrics while providing them the opportunity to work with children.

The main focus of the Teddybear Hospital Project is to create an atmosphere of trust where children can deal with the topics: hospital and disease. Impressions and beliefs that children often acquire through family and the media should be seized, conceived and, if necessary, be corrected through playing. This role-playing also provides medical insight to children, children can understand that illness and the fight against it is part of everyday-life and does not necessarily have to be a threatening or frightening experience.

Medical Examination This aim is accomplished through the realistic structure of the Teddybear Hospital environment. After being received in reception area and moved to a waiting area, the child and patient are called by a teddy doctor to proceed with examination, diagnostics and treatment. The teddy doctor (medical student) takes the patient's (teddy's) history by asking questions of the parent of the patient, who is played by the child. Afterwards, depending on the teddy's problem, the teddy undergoes different examinations and treatments. Certainly the object is to treat the teddy, not the child. This is not the aim of the project and can and may not be done by medical students.

Pharmacist Dispensing After the examination and treatment, the teddy doctor writes a prescription and the children can get some "medicine" in the Teddybear Hospital Pharmacy. Here, children are also made aware of the seriousness of drugs, for example, they are told that it is important to continue taking some medications even though the symptoms may have already resolved.

References 1.

Zimmermann PG et al., J Emerg Nurs. 1997 Feb;23:41-4 2.

Toker A et al., Med Teach. 2002 Nov;24:634-6

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Healthcare Team Building Anja Lampret Students' Section of Slovene Pharmaceutical Society (SSSFD) Slovenia

Started in 1998, "Healthcare team" is a project where students of medicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy, social work, nursing and working therapy cooperate to provide health care to specific patient populations. The students learn not only about the specific disease state but also the value of forming a health care team to provide patient care.

The project is divided into to sections: lectures and cases. The lectures provide the students with the theory of treating the specific disease state. We invite lecturers from different health professions to ensure that the students are well informed about the disease and that they have appropriate knowledge regarding how to work with patients. Students are also able to get to know other professions, which is very important for understanding what kind of a role each profession has in health system. One student Viktorija commented, "The theme, was interesting and it was presented well through the lectures. I liked that many different lecturers came from different professions and that they represented the theme from different point of view."

The second section, the cases, is made of workshops which are divided into two parts, or better, two days. The first day is designed to allow the different students to get to know hot to work with each other by role-playing with theoretical patient cases. On the second day, teams go to the hospital to see patients, applying information from the lectures, as well as working together as an interdisciplinary team. Another student Irena commented, "The Health care team was very positive experience for me. The concept itself has good composition: at first lectures where you get appropriate knowledge, which you use on practical workshops. And what is really special about Healthcare team is getting in touch with patients and interdisciplinary treatment for his/her illness."

The topics covered through the "Healthcare team" project are as diverse as the disciplines involved. The first project held in 1998 focused on Nephrology. The project was held again in 2000 and then annually since 2002. The themes ranged from Parkinson's disease to respiratory tract infections to cerebrovascular incidents.

This project gives health care students additional experience in different areas of health knowledge and it shows how to work in team on an interdisciplinary level. It follows modern directions of clinical practice with intention to unite health care professions, so that they would be able to cooperate in solving real clinical cases. Its intention is also to show how to work in hospitals and how to ensure better communication between different professions. Nina stated, "I always thought that Healthcare team is a great thing and I can only confirm that because I participated last year. It seems to me very important that we, workers in health care, have an opportunity to see that every profession is indispensable for patient [care] and also, at the same time, we learn to take our responsibility for successful treatment."

All things mentioned are very important for the future of health systems and cooperation of different professions can definitely make a better future.

As (the Cascadian) proverb says: "A man with strong hands can break one, a man with great knowledge breaks thousands."

And imagine - it is more of us in a health care team.

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Nursing Develops Awareness for Interprofessional Teams Michael Garreau President Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA)

Nursing and interprofessional collaboration seem to be nothing more than an essential component to the every day practice of nurses. Due to the increased acuity of health care, today's health care professionals, including nursing, must intuitively understand the entire spectrum of health care and the role that each profession plays in this care pathway.

However the reality is that nursing, as a profession, can tend to be seen as insular as opposed to inclusiveness. For this reason, nursing and all health care professionals have decided to focus on improving the manner in which we work as a team of health care professionals as opposed to ships passing in the night.

In Canada, the Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA) has been working with various national health professional student associations in order to achieve a mutually beneficial working dynamic and establish a dedicated communication link. With funding supplied by the Office of Nursing Policy, Health Canada, the CNSA has undertaken initiatives to support Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient Centered Practice (IECPCP). This model focuses on both the workplace setting and the formative educational setting where the socialisation takes place that either reinforces or discourages true collaborative practice. IECPCP is a model, which seeks to recognise the interplay between educational settings and the practice settings. It will form the context and culture within which they will work to provide quality health care.

The visionary leadership of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA), the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF), the European Pharmaceutical Students' Association (EPSA) and the European Medical Students' Association (EMSA) to initiate the first international interprofessional conference has allowed a renewed focus required to see a strong emphasis placed on interprofessional education and practice.

Nursing in the international arena is energised to work with our international colleagues and see that all levels, from a local to international, work to improve collaborative practice both inter and intra professionally in the interest of improving patient outcomes.

Recently the international nursing student community has undertaken the initiative to facilitate the creation of the first international nursing student association whose strategic priorities include assisting with collaborative patient centred practice in the international arena. In working with various national nursing student associations, the Canadian Nursing Students' Association has been able to develop an international network of nursing student colleagues interested in improving interprofessional education and the responsibility that nursing has for global health equity. In today's global community, nursing needs to act locally and think globally for the improved health of all those to whom we provide care.

The international nursing student community believes that it is essential that nurses collectively work to strengthen the capacity of all health care professions so that nurses can effectively participate as members of interdisciplinary teams.

However the focus on interprofessional capacity development must ensure that each profession is able to understand the internal dynamics, which exist as well. On the national scene, the CNSA National Assembly passed a resolution to open membership in the association to all Canadian nursing students (registered nursing, registered psychiatric nursing and licensed practical nursing). This focus on working to understand the complex family of nursing which exists in Canada will help to improve intraprofessional synergy. The efforts to improve staffing service mix will require that nursing is able to appreciate and work in unison within its own community. In keeping with the focus to strengthen our publicly funded, not for profit health care system, the CNSA can now work with the national network of health care professionals via the New Health Professionals Network (NHPN) and ensure that the family of nursing is able to effectively collaborate.

These initiatives will each work to see that patient outcomes are dramatically improved and ensure that the while local successes are celebrated, international knowledge transfer will exist amongst the vast network of the various health professions. Ultimately, no matter what current model of health care is utilised, health professions must ensure that the silos, which have existed, will no longer pose barriers to improving public health and remove global health inequalities.

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Medical Service Team Kevin Huang Taipei Medical University China Medical University Pharmaceutical Students' Association - Taiwan, China

In Taiwan, many activities exist for village service project around the university, Taipei Medical University. We, the college students, spend our winter and summer vacations in these service projects. The activities can be divided into two groups: school, emphasising individual specialties and club, which recruits members from the different schools. The clubs have medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing students, as well as some other schools included in the medical college, to provide the greatest interdisciplinary collaboration.

The clubs coordinate village service projects. Each club has a different target, such as undeveloped, aboriginal or island villages. The club is coordinated by a chairperson who is elected from the club members. Each year a different health discipline may be leading the project. Students chose one location for at least three years, so he/she can compare the differences before and after the services are provided to the village, either providing medical care or being involved in health camps. Individual involvement in the project is initiated through self motivation.

Medical Care for Charity Free medical care is provided to villagers by an interdisciplinary team. The care team is led by doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses. Students assist the health care providers, working side-by-side with providers in their discipline.

We set up the station at a place where the most people passing by. The team provides physical examinations, basic diagnosis and patient counselling. A physical examination is taken on villagers to let them know their health conditions.

The initial examination includes height, weight, eyesight, blood pressure, blood sugar and much more. After examination, the doctor gives medical advice, and conducts further examination, such as auscultation, and visualisation of the ears, nose, and throat. The dentist gives recommendations regarding decayed teeth and teaches villagers how to maintain their teeth in good condition. The pharmacists provide medication counselling and provide information on appropriate use of medications.

Public Health Camp A public health camp for the kids of the village is held over two days to help build healthy habits. Morning exercise starts each day. We teach them to have good habits of personal health and also right ways of brushing teeth and taking medicine. We not only provide them with suitable knowledge but also use active ways to tell them teach them and let them learn by experiencing. Teaching the children will not only provide them with information stay healthy but also spread the information around good health habits to others within the village via these kids. Besides the educational phase of the camp, we play games with the kids. We played some funny dramas which are connected with the public health.

Most importantly, through specially designed games the children see we are dedicated to improving their health and gain their trust and appreciation.

Door-to-Door Visiting The service project also allows for research opportunities. We did questionnaires about the habits and customs of the villagers during the camps regarding their hygienic knowledge and regional disease. We also collected information regarding their use of alternative therapy and crude drugs. We discussed the statistics with the professors and our working partners from different fields. The results focus our educational efforts for the coming projects as well as allowing us to identify improvements in health knowledge due to our previous service projects.

The common goal is to enrich our vacations. We learn how to communicate with patients and establish awareness on health hygiene. We improved our communication skills, communicating not only the villagers but also the partners of the different health care fields. It is a mock environment of our future works. We know more about other views based on the different health care professions. When facing the same problems we solve them by mixing each professional's skill. By establishing collaboration while in school, it allows for improved interactions and respect between the professions in the future. I believe that the gaps between the different fields might be easy to reduce as students begin to build professional bonds together.

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Medical and Pharmacy Students' Collaboration in Malta Francesca Buttigieg Malta Pharmaceutical Student Association (MPSA) Vice-President, WorldMaPS 2005 Organising Committee

Being hosts of the first World Medical and Pharmaceutical Students' Symposium (WorldMaPS) Maltese medical and pharmacy students have been working together for better collaboration between the two professions, not only for the sake of having a great symposium but because a need for such collaboration exists. Medical and pharmacy students have finally realised the importance of collaboration between professions not just for the sake of having a better working environment but, above all, for the benefit of better patient care.

In Malta, medicine and pharmacy students are part of the same faculty, giving more reason and opportunity to practice collaboration between the professions. The Malta Medical Student Association (MMSA) and the Malta Pharmaceutical Student Association (MPSA) have been organising events in which students review ways in which collaboration can be improved. The first step into doing this is to break each others' boundaries and getting to know what each profession really involves. Misconceptions have been dissolved by several workshops in which students have put forward their views, which were then "corrected" by students of the other party. This was followed by teaming up students from different professions and discussion how collaboration between students can be improved.

The following ideas have been obtained and are currently being discussed between the associations and the departments involved.

Joint ward rounds Joint pharmacology tutorials Joint seminars Team based health care competitions Assignments can be done in a way so as to include both a prescriber's opinion and that of a clinical pharmacist Ideas also included teaming up for joint events example: Football tournaments Joint social events such as parties Treasure hunts with groups being made up from mixed professions However, we strongly believe that collaboration in health care should be extended to other professions including dentistry, nursing and physiotherapy. Practice including such professions should also be considered.

As a last note, one must add that the professions are still distinct areas of the health care scenario and one should never cross the other's pathway when it comes to decision making. As a famous person once said "to each his own".

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Following up on the 1st World Medical and Pharmacy Students' Symposium The 1st World Medical and Pharmacy Students' Symposium (WorldMaPS) was held in November 2005 in Malta. A multidisciplinary group of students attended this inaugural event. We caught up with Tana Wujili, one of the committee of people instrumental in organising the conference. She had these remarks to our questions about the event.

1.

How did participants' perceptions of other health care professions change during the congress?

I think that the perceptions and attitudes of participants changed over the course of the week. After skimming through the responses to the evaluation survey at the end of the week, many participants stated that their attitudes towards other health care students had changed. Most participants better understood the need for a health care team and patient centred approach to health care. The statement that was launched at the end of the event really showed a united voice and commitment to these principles and called for greater interdisciplinary collaboration at a student level.

How do we know the event left an impression? Seeing participants mingling from all over the world and different background and having a great deal of fun.

2.

Did the participants have the opportunity to understand the contributions of other health care providers to providing patient care?

The programme was designed to make it as interactive as possible so that participants could come to their own conclusions and debate these important issues with others. I think that this definitely helped participants to see each others' point of view. Participants were put into small focus groups to discuss topics ranging from disease prevention, clinical case management to education.

3.

What disciplines were represented?

Most participants were either pharmacy or medical students and a few nursing students participated. We hope that many more nursing students and students from other backgrounds take part in the next WorldMaPS. 4.

How will this impact interaction of the organisations?

The WorldMaPS event will continue under a new name, the World Healthcare Students Symposium (WorldHSS), and will take place every two years. This provides an excellent focus point for collaboration between the partner organisations. It also helps to develop relationships and learn from each other, especially with nursing students and other health student associations.

5.

Were participants provided with opportunities for collaborative health care projects?

What kind of projects?

Workshops aimed to produce action. The public health workshop gave skills training to participants and assisted them to develop their own multidisciplinary health campaigns such as the Teddy Bear Hospital, tuberculosis (TB), Healthy Living and Diabetes, and anti-tobacco campaigns. It also helped further international collaboration, especially between IPSF and IFMSA - for example the extending of the Moving On II project, a research study examining the perceptions of students towards their education, to medical students. It will be great to see presentations of these collaborative projects at the future WorldHSS. WorldMaPS was an incredible experience and I feel very lucky and proud to have been part of it. Students can make a difference and together we can do so much! All the best to Portugal as the hosts of the 2007 WorldHSS and the new Joint Working Group! To those who were not able to make it to Malta, I strongly recommend you to go to the next event.

You will not experience any other event like it!

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1st World Medical and Pharmacy Students' Symposium Malta, 7th - 12th November 2005

Statement of Beliefs Summary The participants of the above symposium agreed on several principles: 1.

Health care should be patient centred and multidisciplinary.

2.

Health care professionals must have appropriate knowledge, good communication skills, be team players and have an empathic approach.

3.

Health care education must be practical, multidisciplinary and state of the art.

The Symposium The first joint symposium of world health care students was organised by IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students' Associations), IPSF (International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation), EPSA (European Pharmaceutical Students' Association) and EMSA (European Medical Students' Association), and took place in Malta from the 7th to 12th November 2005. The symposium brought together 230 medical, pharmacy and nursing students from 42 countries in an international forum. The conference was intended to generate understanding and discussion between the professions, develop skills and awareness of concepts in multidisciplinary settings, and to create student advocates for a cooperative multidisciplinary approach to patient centred care to optimise health outcomes.

Explanation Patient Care The participants of the symposium agreed that good patient care takes into consideration the individual needs of the patient. There needs to be effective communication within the health care professions and with the patients themselves.

This conference considers the STEEP principles described by the Institute of Medicine in "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century" as an appropriate model for the delivery of excellent patient care. The STEEP principles are Safe, Timely, Efficient, Effective, Equitable, and Patient-centred.

Health Care Professionals Health care professionals knowledge should at all times be relevant, current and evidence based. Health care professionals need good communication skills in order to be a team player in a multidisciplinary environment. A priority for all health care professionals is to be patient focused which requires an interactive and empathic approach.

Education Health care education should be practical with maximum exposure to clinical settings from the beginning of the curricula. It should be interactive with a variety of teaching methods including problem based learning. Health care education should mirror the multidisciplinary working of health care teams which includes learning together in order to gain an understanding of other professions. Health care education should be state of the art. It should include the latest evidence-based practice and be delivered according to the latest developments in education.

In order to achieve all the above, a motivational learning environment must be created where members of the health care team are working together as equals from the very beginning of their careers.

References: http://www.iom.edu/file.asp?id=27184 Institute of Medicine: "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century"

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