Better together: utilizing an interprofessional course and escape room to educate healthcare students about opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of an innovative interprofessional educational activity on healthcare professional students' learning. The educational activity targeted student knowledge of opioid use disorder (OUD) and perceptions of working with an interprofessional team while caring for patients with OUD. METHODS: Students from nursing, pharmacy, physician assistant, dentistry, social work, and medicine programs were recruited to participate in the interprofessional educational activity. The educational experience included seven asynchronous modules and a virtual synchronous escape room. Prior to the educational programming, participants completed a pre-survey that assessed their knowledge and attitudes towards working on an interprofessional team and perceptions of patients with OUD. The asynchronous modules were required in order to participate in the escape room and each module contained its own pre/post quiz to assess student knowledge. RESULTS: A total of 402 students participated in the course. Prior to participating in the course, students disagreed that they had extensive educational experience with SUD (2.45 ± 0.79). The students displayed significant improvement in the knowledge based areas after completing the seven asynchronous modules. The largest significant area of knowledge-based improvement was seen in treatment of OUD where on the pre-quiz 65.54 ± 20.21% were answered correctly compared to 95.97 ± 9.61% on the post-quiz. Participation in the escape room significantly changed the students' perceptions of working in interprofessional teams while managing patients with OUD. Of the eleven perception variables assessed, seven showed a significant increase in the post-survey. Following the escape room, participants also strongly agreed that they now would refer patients to colleagues in other disciplines. CONCLUSIONS: An interprofessional educational experience including both an asynchronous course and virtual synchronous escape room can increase participant knowledge around OUD and may improve student perceptions of working with an interprofessional team and caring for patients with OUD.

Innovation in Breast Surgery: Practical and Ethical Considerations.

The adoption of innovation is essential to the evolution of patient care. Breast surgical oncology advances through incorporating new techniques, devices, and procedures. Historical changes in practice standards from radical to modified radical mastectomy or axillary node dissection to sentinel node biopsy reduced morbidity without sacrifice in oncologic outcome. Contemporary oncoplastic techniques afford broader consideration for breast conservation and the potential for improved cosmetic outcomes. At present, many breast surgeons face the decision of which wireless device to use for localization of nonpalpable lesions. Consideration for future changes, such as robotic mastectomy, are on the horizon. No guideline exists to assist breast surgeons in the adoption of innovation into practice. The Ethics Committee of the American Society of Breast Surgeons acknowledges that breast surgeons confront many questions associated with onboarding innovation. This paper aims to provide a framework for asking relevant questions along with the ethical principles to consider when integrating an innovation into practice.