Start Date
10-29-2016 11:00 AM
End Date
10-29-2016 12:00 PM
Description
Purpose: This study assessed Interdisciplinary Family Health (IFH) Program participants‘ perceived health outcomes associated with program participation at the University of Florida.
Background: Service-learning has emerged as a dynamic way in which students derive practical skills to address the needs of their community. Research has probed student perspectives but has seldom explored community feedback. The Interdisciplinary Family Health Program (IFH) is a mandatory Interprofessional service learning experience designed to foster collaborative teamwork across first year health professions students at UF. Students are assigned in interprofessional teams of four to improve a local volunteer family’s health over the course of four visits in one academic year.
Description of Research: Data from twenty-one semi-structured telephone interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed to assess participants’ perceived health outcomes using a grounded theory approach. Emergent themes were conceptualized via selective coding and peer-reviewing.
Results: All program participants reported positive health outcomes within a social support construct. Responses fell into four social support domains within a greater framework of bridging student-participant generations: informational support, emotional support, companionship support, and tangible support. Trends in social support domains observed were associated with participant SES. Participants with lower SES levels reported greater needs for health information and access, whereas participants with higher SES levels desired building social relationships with students.
Conclusions: Tailoring IPE training to address specific social support domains and SES associations is an opportunity for enhanced participant experiences and perceived health outcomes. Educational planning can utilize social support domain-SES association findings as a guide for students to attune their efforts at improving the overall health outcomes of their target population.
Learning Objectives and Related Conference Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe qualitative methods of evaluating perceived patient health outcomes in assessing the effectiveness of the Interdisciplinary Family Health Program (Conference Objective 1).
- Participants will be able to communicate research findings regarding social support domain-SES approaches for enhanced educational programming and perceived patient health outcomes (Conference Objective 3).
Included in
What's in it for me? Perspectives from Community Participants in an Inter-professional Service Learning Program
Purpose: This study assessed Interdisciplinary Family Health (IFH) Program participants‘ perceived health outcomes associated with program participation at the University of Florida.
Background: Service-learning has emerged as a dynamic way in which students derive practical skills to address the needs of their community. Research has probed student perspectives but has seldom explored community feedback. The Interdisciplinary Family Health Program (IFH) is a mandatory Interprofessional service learning experience designed to foster collaborative teamwork across first year health professions students at UF. Students are assigned in interprofessional teams of four to improve a local volunteer family’s health over the course of four visits in one academic year.
Description of Research: Data from twenty-one semi-structured telephone interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed to assess participants’ perceived health outcomes using a grounded theory approach. Emergent themes were conceptualized via selective coding and peer-reviewing.
Results: All program participants reported positive health outcomes within a social support construct. Responses fell into four social support domains within a greater framework of bridging student-participant generations: informational support, emotional support, companionship support, and tangible support. Trends in social support domains observed were associated with participant SES. Participants with lower SES levels reported greater needs for health information and access, whereas participants with higher SES levels desired building social relationships with students.
Conclusions: Tailoring IPE training to address specific social support domains and SES associations is an opportunity for enhanced participant experiences and perceived health outcomes. Educational planning can utilize social support domain-SES association findings as a guide for students to attune their efforts at improving the overall health outcomes of their target population.
Learning Objectives and Related Conference Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe qualitative methods of evaluating perceived patient health outcomes in assessing the effectiveness of the Interdisciplinary Family Health Program (Conference Objective 1).
- Participants will be able to communicate research findings regarding social support domain-SES approaches for enhanced educational programming and perceived patient health outcomes (Conference Objective 3).