Improving Medical‐Dental Integration Through Inter‐Provincial, Inter‐Professional Collaboration

Patients may present with oral and systemic symptoms simultaneously, and a lack of integration between disciplines can lead to fragmented treatment and suboptimal outcomes [1]. Inter-professional education (IPE) has the potential to enhance collaboration between learners in medicine and dentistry to simulate interactions in professional settings. However, implementing effective IPE faces challenges, with additional hurdles for medical-dental integration. First, traditional IPE implementation demands consideration of micro, meso, and macro factors, such as substantial financial resources and logistical planning, etc., that can be barriers for institutions [2]. Furthermore, siloed (institutional) IPE structures limit the opportunity for learners to work across regional/provincial borders, restricting their exposure to different scopes of practice, diverse perspectives, and practice models [3]. Geographical spread of satellite campuses further complicates collaboration, especially when rural-urban divides often influence access to resources and educational experiences [4]. Finally, not all institutions offer a full suite of health professional programs, leading to variability in the possible IPE opportunities across professions. The University of Saskatchewan Health Sciences IPE team developed an inter-institutional medical-dental integration IPE event targeted to Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Dental Hygiene (DH), and Medical Doctor (MD) learners. The inaugural event included two institutions (with multiple satellite learning sites) in two Canadian provinces. This team-based learner-led IPE event was a comprehensive virtual learning event (6 h over 3 weeks) focused on Sjögren's syndrome, a condition underscoring critical links between oral and systemic health. Clinical content was delivered to learners in a unique, self-paced learning format, with clinical scenarios and resources selected to highlight oral-systemic health connections. Learners explored key Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaboration (CIHC) competencies [5], including relationship-focused care, team communication, role clarification and negotiation, and collaborative leadership through small team interactions with peers from various health professions (Table 1). As practice for alleviating fragmented care, medical and dental learners collaboratively developed holistic care plans that integrated mental health, spirituality, medical, and dental perspectives. They gained experience in writing referral letters and in giving and receiving feedback with learners outside their discipline. Learners gained practical experience in bridging the gap between medical and dental care and an increased understanding of comprehensive, patient-centered care. Key team task / deliverables - Relationship-focused care/services - Team communication - Role clarification and negotiation - Collaborative leadership - Practice writing referral letters - Develop care plans - Practice giving and receiving feedback - Practice durable skills highlighted in this learning event and more - Learning about Sjögren's syndrome in an interprofessional team setting - Practice clear verbal and written communication within the circle of care - Work collaboratively with colleagues for holistic care Participants (16 DMD, 37 DH, and 22 MD, n = 75 out of 200) completed a voluntary follow-up survey and guided professional reflection. Results revealed that, regardless of their location, program, or institution, learners experienced an increase in their understanding of the oral and systemic aspects of Sjögren's syndrome (Table 2). They successfully practiced team-related skills during the event and found it easy to connect with colleagues (Table 3). This inter- and intra-institutional collaborative approach effectively connected dentistry and medicine learners, ensuring those from satellite locations without a full complement of health science disciplines had equitable opportunity to increase their understanding of medical-dental integration. Further, the virtual event (using an existing institutional platform) overcame financial and logistical hurdles, proving to be both resource- and cost-effective. This interprofessional collaboration is ongoing, and its virtual, team-based, learner-led format is highly scalable (i.e., incorporating additional sites and programs, or recreating this model elsewhere), leading to more future medical and dental professionals valuing medical-dental integration in patient care. 11. I am more likely to incorporate feedback from colleagues in care planning. The authors would like to thank Dr. Sheryl Mills for her thought-provoking ideas, discussions, and invaluable feedback that have contributed to positive changes in the development and improvement of inter-professional education. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.