A Study In The Development Of A Multidisciplanary Clinical And Rehabilitative Outpatient Clinic At A Regional University: The Implications For The University And The Community

摘要

The growing trend in modern health care is to improve clinical outcomes utilizing multidisciplinary allied health teams for maximum patient benefit. Consequently, colleges and universities are adopting this concept in their curricula and developing multidisciplinary clinics to support this trend. While, regional universities enter into business ventures for various reasons, universities that offer multiple health science curricula have the capability to develop outpatient clinical and rehabilitative services that meet the needs of their communities and support the multidisciplinary approach to patient care. These clinics are seen as a vital and viable community resource by most people. It is important for a regional university to explore the feasibility of such clinics to maintain current best practices in medical education and fulfill their mission as a community resource.The review of the literature revealed that there is a limited body of knowledge about the development of multidisciplinary health care education models. It also demonstrated that Canadian universities and allied health practitioners have more readily implemented multidisciplinary allied health educational models and practices than the United States. The literature also revealed that clinical outcomes for patients are significantly improved when using a multidisciplinary approach to delivering health care. Using a case study approach, a single research question guided this practicum: ?Should a regional university in East Tennessee develop a multidisciplinary allied health clinic to better serve the community, allied health students, and faculty?? The results based upon the findings of the literature review, formative and summative committee input, a business plan, and financial pro forma statement concluded that developing a multidisciplinary allied health clinic at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) was the right course of action to pursue.The implications of the findings were that an ETSU based multidisciplinary allied health clinic could become the future cornerstone for both patient care and allied health education. If students are to be well prepared to function in rapidly changing healthcare delivery models, it is critical that they be provided every opportunity to experience.This practicum will heighten awareness of multidisciplinary practice in the allied health professions. It is recommended that other college or university based allied health programs should pursue curriculum that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration. Academic institutes that invest in multidisciplinary education are investing in an improvement in clinical outcomes and an expansion of the body of knowledge that is a logical outcome of multidisciplinary research. This is a substantial return on investment for all stakeholders. Chapter 1:Introduction BackgroundRegional universities enter into business ventures for various reasons. Universities that offer multiple health science curricula have the capability to develop outpatient clinical and rehabilitative services that meet the needs of their communities. These clinics are seen as a vital and viable community resource by most people. They are usually manned by existing faculty members as part of their existing workloads. Clinics of this nature provide a means for faculty to maintain their clinical skills while still working full-time in academia. In addition, the clinics are also viewed as potential recruitment tools for attracting new faculty. This study explored the service, education, research, and revenue potential that the formation of a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic would provide. These clinics can provide the following opportunities: Provide a centralized site to provide clinical instruction and experiential learning for allied health students; Provide opportunity for multidisciplinary collaborative research; Provide additional funding and financial growth for the college; and Provide health care services for tar