title: Patients' nursing records revealing opportunities for interprofessional workplace learning in primary care: a chart review study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Working and learning go hand in hand during interprofessional collaborative practice. Patients' nursing records are designed to record patient care and health status. It is not known whether these records are also used to keep track of interprofessional contacts or interprofessional learning between team members. This study explored the usefulness of patients' nursing records in optimising interprofessional workplace learning for general practitioners.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilized a descriptive retrospective chart review. All palliative home care teams of the Dutch speaking part of Belgium were involved. Throughout the year 2010, a representative sample of patient charts was selected. Characteristics of encounters between general practitioners and palliative care nurses were extracted from the charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Detailed accounts of interprofessional contacts were found in the charts. Palliative care nurses recorded number and type of contacts, topics discussed during contacts and general practitioner's learning activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Palliative care nurses are sensitive and open towards the general practitioners' learning needs. Patients' nursing records provide useful information for interprofessional team discussions on workplace learning. Healthcare professionals should be trained to respond to each other's learning needs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, UZ-6K3, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pype
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wens
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stes
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grypdonck
authors.forename: Bart Vanden
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Eynden
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deveugele
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education*; D064946:Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D009737:Nursing Records; D065126:Palliative Medicine / Q000193:education; D011320:Primary Health Care