Kearney, L.

Abstract Rationale : Interprofessional providers (IPPs), such as nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists, teaching physician trainees (“interprofessional teaching” [IPT]), may improve teamwork and quality of care in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the role that IPPs play in physician trainee education in the ICU and their attitudes about IPT have not been well described. In this study, we explored the impact of IPPs on education for Pulmonary and Critical Care fellows and their perceptions regarding IPPs as teachers for medical trainees. Methods: Fellows from eight large academic medical centers with pulmonary and critical care fellowship programs located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and West Coast were invited to participate. Eligible participants included Internal Medicine-trained Pulmonary and Critical Care or Critical Care Medicine fellows in the first, second, or third year of fellowship training. All focus groups were led by a single study team member who facilitated sessions in-person at four sites and virtually at four sites. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using a framework approach, and inter-rater reliability testing was performed prior to coding each manuscript in full (Cohen's kappa = 0.77). Results: Focus groups were held at eight sites between March and July 2023. A total of 50 fellows participated, including 13 first year, 21 second year, and 12 third year fellows, all of whom had completed at least 8 weeks of medical ICU rotations during fellowship. Several themes emerged. Fellows identified the relevance of IPP teaching content, fellow bandwidth to learn from IPPs, and the perceived benefit of relationship building with IPPs as factors that made them ideal learners for IPT among medical trainees. Fellows described distinct teaching content from each IPP group, with nurses revealing the “hidden curriculum,” pharmacists providing specific concrete learning points and incorporating primary literature, and respiratory therapists teaching at the bedside. Identified barriers to IPT included fellows’ competing roles as both teacher and learner in limited time, IPPs having difficulty identifying learner needs at varying levels, and fellows’ uncertainty about whether IPPs view themselves as educators. Conclusions: Fellows are uniquely situated to learn from IPPs in the ICU. Perceived benefits include expansion of their knowledge base and fostering relationships with the interprofessional team. The unique teaching profiles of each IPP group could be leveraged to enhance IPT in the ICU.