Can I get your opinions on....

[electra316]

Hi all, Ive been a lurker on these forums for a while now and Ive learned lots from the members.

I was wondering if the Pharmacists could take a minute to help me out?

I'm a first year MPharm student working on a project focussing on IPE (Intergrated professional education) and I was wanting to get your views on-

"Inter professional Education occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other in order to improve collaboration and the quality of practice." CAIPE (2002)

The question is, how relevant do you think IPE is to today's NHS and taking this theory into the workplace, do you think that the healthcare professions collaborate successfully, or do you feel there is still seclusion of roles to a degree?


Thanks for your time!

[johnep]

Not invented here rules supreme. ie NIH syndrome.
johnep

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by electra316

The question is, how relevant do you think IPE is to today's NHS and taking this theory into the workplace, do you think that the healthcare professions collaborate successfully, or do you feel there is still seclusion of roles to a degree?

Very relevant - I'm a fan of Bradfords PACE meetings.

PACE @ LearnOnline

The networking/signposting effects are tremendously useful.

Is collaboration successful? Perhaps not as successful as it could be - feedback is inhibited by patient professional confidentiality - and the fact that I locum so don't see outcomes as often as I'd like.

Knowing where to refer patients to, knowing the likely procedure after referral is a great aid.

e.g. We suspect depression - but the patient sees a stigma attached and wont see a GP about depression.
However suggest an organic cause - and advise seeing their GP for a thyroid function test and you're away.

Jeff

[johnep]

Depression is a tricky one. I deal with by first asking if they wake up (usually about 4am) and worry about things. I then explain depression as imbalance of brain hormone and not much difference to imbalance of thyroid. No one worries about that. The depression is caused by an event such as bereavement or can sometimes come on without a known cause (the black dog of Churchill for example).
Depression can be treated by taking a tablet to restore the 5ht imbalance and the Dr will have seen hundreds of pts before.

in the early days of anti depressants, some Drs would say that psychotherapy was the answer. So it may be, but who has the time and money. I would say that the tablet/capsule was a psychological prop to help the pt while they recovered naturally. Along came Tofranil to replace the MAOIs and the Drs were convinced of medication therapy. then the floodgates of antidepressants opened.
johnep