AfrIPEN Studying State of IPE in Undergraduate Health Professions Education in Africa

The Africa Interprofessional Education Network (AfrIPEN) will be embarking research project to study Interprofessional Education in Africa. On behalf of AfrIPEN, Dr Gerard Filies [B.Sc. (OT), M.Phil (Health ScEd), PhD] recently presented a poster 2022 TUFH Virtual Regional Conference for Africa on the project along with collaborators Champion Nyoni PhD and Elize Pietersen PhD.

The research question is: 

What is the state of IPE in undergraduate health professions education in Africa? 

The objectives of the study are: 

1. To map HPE that offer IPE programmes in Africa
2. To describe the nature of IPE programmes offered in HPE institutions in Africa
3. To describes gaps in IPE in Africa. 

A detailed description of IPE programmes/activities in HEI in Africa is essential. This study would provide important foundational information related to the extent of the integration of IPE activities in undergraduate education at HEIs. This information would be important in supporting interventions towards region-wide IPE activities and harmonised policy development related to IPE in Africa. 

This project is part of the Africa Interprofessional Education Network (AfrIPEN)’s initiatives towards supporting, advocating for and enhancing IPE in mainstream health professions education in the African continent. 

For more information contact: gfilies@uwc.ac.za

IPR.Global Scholar Spotlight - Dr. Gérard Filies, University of the Western Cape (South Africa)

My name is Dr. Gérard Filies, and I am a registered Occupational Therapist by profession with a B.Sc. (Occupational Therapy) degree from the University of the Western Cape. I also have an M.Phil. (Health Sciences Education) Master’s degree from Stellenbosch University and obtained a PhD degree from the University of the Western Cape (UWC). My wife, Dr Sylnita Swartz-Filies, and I made history at UWC in 2018 by being the first married couple to both graduate with PhD degrees in the same ceremony. We were acknowledged by the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa as the first married Occupational Therapy couple to achieve this accolade in the Western Cape. In 2019 we received the platinum award for the most inspirational couple from the I Do Magazine annual award ceremony in Johannesburg. The title of my PhD study was: Development of an interprofessional education model that aims to instill the core competencies of interprofessional collaborative practice in allied health students’ curriculum. 

At UWC, I am employed as a full time senior lecturer within the Interprofessional Education Unit (IPEU) in the Faculty of Community & Health Sciences. Responsibilities include: curriculum development, lectures, research, facilitation of faculty development workshops, co-ordination of interprofessional activities with postgraduate and undergraduate students, interprofessional supervision of students; and development of community sites for interprofessional placement of students for fieldwork. Research areas of interest include: Interprofessional Education, Service-Learning, Health Promotion, Primary Health Care and Community-Based Education. His current research project includes the use of 3D printing in interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Current teaching responsibilities at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels are: Primary Health Care, Interdisciplinary Health Promotion, Interprofessional Education World Café workshops, Interprofessional Ethics and Shared Research Methods. I am part of a team and was appointed as convenor for driving the process for registration and accreditation of the Postgraduate Diploma in Interprofessional Education and Health – a first of its kind in the Western Cape, if not a first in South Africa. The programme is currently being planned for implementation in August 2021. 

I have been invited by the Universities of Missouri and Winston Salem State University in the United States of America to develop their Interprofessional Education curriculum in 2018 and 2019. I was also invited to the Nelson Mandela University in 2019 as a guest speaker for interprofessional education and has facilitated a webinar series on interprofessional education and collaborative practice between 2019 and 2020 as part of capacity development for faculty members. I also served as the secretariat of the African Interprofessional Network (AfrIPEN) from 2017 to 2018 and is a member of Interprofessional Research.Global (IPR.Global).

Contact Dr. Gérard Filies: gfilies@uwc.ac.za

Interprofessional Research.Global Scholar Spotlight is a regular feature that highlights member research in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice.  

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University of Western Cape Sponsors "Caring for the Carer" Outreach Programme in South Africa

On 14-15 April 2021, students and staff from the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (CHS), Faculty of Law, Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Science will be providing services to 140 carers in the Mitchells Plain community. The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has been working in the Mitchells Plain community for over 20 years, placing health sciences students at various community organizations and institutions to deliver health and social care programmes that benefit the community members and university students. 

The theme for the upcoming Outreach Programme is “Caring for the Carer” in which UWC will be bringing health screening, wellness talks, therapeutic, dental, and legal counselling services to the women and men who work tirelessly as Community Rehabilitation Workers (CRWs) and Home-based Carers in Mitchells Plain. These carers are often at the frontline and are the first contact for many in the community with the health and social care system. We know that those who provide care to others as a carer, often fail to set aside the time and resources for their own self-care. "This engagement comes out of having identified that the homebased carers and community rehabilitation workers are an essential part of the health workforce in South Africa. They are at the frontline of bringing health and wellness services to the communities and currently are major role players in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 in communities" said Prof Waggie. 

Community engagement and social responsiveness is a fundamental pillar of health sciences education at UWC and the university has shown and demonstrated that it is committed to go an extra mile in serving the communities in Cape Town and surrounding areas. This drive and commitment will continue to grow each year, thereby impacting communities and making health services accessible to the most vulnerable and marginalised. 

The outreach services are pioneered by the team in Interprofessional Education Unit (IPEU) under the leadership of the CHS Deputy Dean for Clinical and Community Engagement, Prof Firdouza Waggie and in partnership with Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Dentistry. The faculty values the contribution from Melomed Hospitals, Shoprite, Checkers and Foschini Group.

For more information contact Dr Gerard Filies (Senior Lecturer), University of the Western Cape, Interprofessional Education Unit: gfilies@uwc.ac.za

University of Western Cape Develops IPE Postgraduate Diploma in South Africa

The Postgraduate Diploma Interprofessional Education in Health has been approved and accredited to be implemented in 2021 at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. The development of the Interprofessional Education Unit (IPEU) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) aimed to address the challenges experienced in the fragmented healthcare system whereby professionals are working in their silos and thereby affecting the health outcomes of the population. At UWC, a focus was placed on preparing the undergraduate students to work interprofessionally and collaboratively and hence an interprofessional education core curriculum was implemented since 2000. 

The development of this Postgraduate Diploma Interprofessional Education (PGDipIPE) further strengthens this project and aims to enable practitioners to collaborate across and within professions (eg. doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, etc.) and sectors (education, agriculture, etc.) to provide high-quality health and social care. Internationally and nationally, the emerging need for interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPCP) is emphasized through current practices. 

This programme is unique in its offering as it is the only qualification of its kind on the continent of Africa. The implementation of this programme could facilitate IPCP core competencies (roles and responsibilities, leadership, communication, ethics and values) between different healthcare professionals from various health and social sectors. The following modules will be offered: IPE Theory, Models & Concepts; Shared Decision-Making; Leadership & Research. 

For more information contact Dr Gerard Filies (Senior Lecturer), University of the Western Cape, Interprofessional Education Unit: gfilies@uwc.ac.za 

(Photo: Original planning meeting of the Postgraduate Diploma in collaboration between South Africa and Norway)