Lisa L Black

Background:|In the health professions, clinical reasoning is a critical component in the foundation of effective clinical practice. The concept, skills, and process of clinical reasoning can be fostered throughout one’s education and learning through reflection. In it’s basic sense, clinical reasoning is the sum of the thinking and decision-making processes associated with clinical practice but more deeply it integrates cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills, is contextual in nature and involves both therapist and client perspectives.1,2,3It is adaptive, iterative and collaborative with the intended outcome being a biopsychosocial approach to patient/client management. Within the complexity of clinical reasoning, the cognitive component of this cyclical process is critical thinking.

Background/Introduction: The interprofessional fall risk assessment program was first piloted in Spring 2011. Since then, it has been offered annually at both independent living and assisted living facilities in the Omaha area.|Methods: From 2012 - 2014, 188 students participated in interprofessional fall risk assessment programs at 3 senior living communities. Students were recruited to participate through the Office of Interprofessional Scholarship, Service and Education in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. Students attended an orientation, met their team, and completed the pre-Team Skills Scale survey prior to the event.|Students completed their discipline-specific assessments onsite with senior residents who volunteered to participate in the fall risk assessment program. Nursing students completed interviews to collect health history information. Pharmacy students completed medication reviews or medication fall risk scores. Physical therapy students conducted Berg Balance assessments. Occupational therapy students completed home safety checklists.|Interprofessional teams generated client-centered recommendations under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals. These recommendations were provided to the older adults in fall risk report cards. Facility staff received recommendations via care plans and medication action plans to discuss with their senior residents. Students then completed a post-Team Skills Scale survey.|Results: The response rate ranged from 81-85% dependent upon students' completion of both pre/post Team Skills Scale survey questions. Scores for all questions improved significantly from pre- to post-measures.|Conclusion: These opportunities allow students to interact with older adults, become proficient with health assessments, collaborate interprofessionally, and provide clinical recommendations. Student benefits of participating include applying clinical skills before clinical rotations, interacting with real clients (not patient simulations), developing team skills, and having the safety net of faculty onsite to supervise and coach them. The older adults received assessments not typically provided in these senior living communities.