ABSTRACT
Background: The Lebanese American University has a well-functioning inter-professional education [IPE] programme; this is a fundamental pedagogical approach in healthcare education in which students from different professions learn together, ultimately leading to improving the skills of the health care workforce and thus improving patient outcomes. The programme includes nursing, nutrition, medicine, pharmacy and social work students, and has now been running for 6 years.
Aims: This paper aims at describing the implementation of an IPE programme in Lebanon by focusing on how to overcome the main challenges.
Methods: We describe our experience using the categories of challenges developed by Sunguya et al. [2014], where they analysed published reports of IPE programmes in developed countries. We identified three additional challenges that might be relevant throughout the Middle East/North Africa [MENA] region or in countries with similar socioeconomic characteristics.
Results: The challenges encountered in designing and implementing the IPE programme were similar to other programmes: curriculum, leadership, resources, stereotypes and attitudes, variety of students, IPE concept, teaching, enthusiasm, professional jargon and accreditation as well as assessment of learning, security and logistics.
Conclusions: This paper provides data and successful strategies that can be used by planned or implemented programmes in similar socioeconomic contexts in the MENA region.
Subject(s)
Education , Health Workforce , Delivery of Health Care , CurriculumABSTRACT
Febrile neutropenia is common in cancer patients managed with chemotherapy. Many published international guidelines have included detailed recommendations on the management of various aspects of febrile neutropenia seen in this population. Various factors play a role in the management of febrile neutropenia in cancer patients including, local microbiology epidemiology, availability of diagnostic tests and available antimicrobial agents on the local market. On behalf of the Lebanese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, the panel members hope that the guidelines on the management of infections in patients with febrile neutropenia in an era of rising antimicrobial resistance will help health care providers standardize the care of these patients
ABSTRACT
Urinary tract infection [UTI] is a common condition affecting men and women of all ages. It can have different presentations and can be acute, recurrent or chronic. It mandates prompt management to avoid complications and improve patient's outcome. In an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance and an urgent need for antimicrobial stewardship, national guidelines to standardize care of various infectious diseases have become a priority. Members of the Lebanese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology [LSIDCM] drafted guidelines for the management of the various forms of UTI. These guidelines serve as a guide for health care workers, specifically primary care practitioners, family physicians, and emergency medicine physicians. They constitute an appropriate starting point before specialist consultation. They take into consideration the available local epidemiological data and the resistance profile of common urinary pathogens in Lebanon. This document includes the following sections: 1. Rationale and scope of the guidelines; 2. Definition of UTI; 3. Clinical presentation and diagnostic work-up of UTI; 4. Microbiological data of UTI; 5. Management and prevention strategies based on the latest Infectious Diseases Society of America [IDSA] and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases [ESCMID] guidelines, tailored to the microbiological data in Lebanon. It addresses UTI in women [uncomplicated and complicated] and men [acute and chronic]. In addition, it covers management of asymptomatic bacteriuria and catheter related UTI. The recommendations in this document were graded based on the strength of the evidence as in the IDSA guidelines