NEHI Calls for Medical Education Reforms

August 3, 2010

Cambridge, MA (August 3, 2010) – The New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI) today called for fundamental changes in the training of health professionals in order to better meet the demands of the struggling primary care system. 

NEHI said the quality and efficiency of primary care could be dramatically improved through the use of team-based care. However, shifting to a team-based model is hindered by an education system that traditionally trains health professionals in silos, with little to no emphasis on preparing students in medicine, nursing, pharmacology or other fields to share responsibilities or even work together.   

"The education system for health professionals must implement farsighted changes” if the primary care workforce of the future is to learn how to work in care teams, NEHI says in an article published in the August edition of Health Affairs. The article says that this will require a “revolution’’ in how medical professionals are educated.   

Training students together from different medical disciplines fosters the skills to collaborate, coordinate and delegate, all prerequisites for improving patient care. Collaborative team-based care has been found to lead to better clinical care, lower health care costs and reduce clinicians’ workloads. 

The article notes that there are significant barriers to implementing collaborative education in the health professions, including entrenched cultures, administrative rigidity, curricular requirements and funding limitations. But a small number of colleges and universities have successfully adopted collaborative models that share core principles and can serve as a roadmap for wider implementation.  

The article calls for a number of action steps to facilitate collaborative education for primary care practitioners, including:

• The federal government should follow Canada's lead and establish a national center to support collaborative education activities

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education should require primary care residency programs to incorporate team-based training in their curricula.

• Accrediting bodies in the various medical disciplines should encourage the promulgation of collaborative accreditation standards.

• The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Nurses Association should collaborate to promote interprofessional education among their members.

• The National Quality Forum, Leapfrog Group, Joint Commission and other health quality organizations should include team-based care as a best-practice for the promotion of quality outcomes.

• The AAMC should revise the MCAT exam to better identify candidates with strong interpersonal skills.

The article, titled "Educating Health Professionals Collaboratively for Team-Based Primary Care,'' was co-authored by NEHI President Wendy Everett, Program Director Brian Schuetz and Health Policy Associate Erin Mann. The recommendations were drawn from a summit of leading medical and nursing school deans convened last year by NEHI with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  

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About NEHI
The New England Healthcare Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming health care for the benefit of patients and their families. In partnership with members from all across the health care system, NEHI conducts evidence-based research and stimulates policy change to improve the quality and the value of health care. Together with this unparalleled network of committed health care leaders, NEHI brings an objective, collaborative and fresh voice to health policy. For more information, visit www.nehi.net.