title: Training and Assessing Interprofessional Virtual Teams Using a Web-Based Case System.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Today, clinical care is often provided by interprofessional virtual teams-groups of practitioners who work asynchronously and use technology to communicate. Members of such teams must be competent in interprofessional practice and the use of information technology, two targets for health professions education reform. The authors created a Web-based case system to teach and assess these competencies in health professions students.
  
  
  METHODS
  They created a four-module, six-week geriatric learning experience using a Web-based case system. Health professions students were divided into interprofessional virtual teams. Team members received profession-specific information, entered a summary of this information into the case system's electronic health record, answered knowledge questions about the case individually, then collaborated asynchronously to answer the same questions as a team. Individual and team knowledge scores and case activity measures--number of logins, message board posts/replies, views of message board posts--were tracked.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During academic year 2012-2013, 80 teams composed of 522 students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work participated. Knowledge scores varied by profession and within professions. Team scores were higher than individual scores (P < .001). Students and teams with higher knowledge scores had higher case activity measures. Team score was most highly correlated with number of message board posts/replies and was not correlated with number of views of message board posts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This Web-based case system provided a novel approach to teach and assess the competencies needed for virtual teams. This approach may be a valuable new tool for measuring competency in interprofessional practice.
authors.affiliation: A.W. Dow is assistant vice president of health sciences for interprofessional education and collaborative care and professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. P.A. Boling is chair, Division of Geriatrics, and professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. K.S. Lockeman is assistant professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. P.E. Mazmanian is associate dean of assessment and evaluation studies and professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. M. Feldman is assistant professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. D. DiazGranados is assistant professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. J. Browning is director of academic information systems, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. A. Coe is a graduate student, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, Virginia. R. Selby-Penczak is assistant professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. S. Hobgood is assistant professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. L. Abbey is associate professor of medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. P. Parsons is associate professor of nursing and medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. J. Delafuente is associate dean of academic affairs and professor of pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia. S.F. Taylor is instructor of occupational therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Alan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Dow
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Boling
authors.forename: Kelly S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lockeman
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Mazmanian
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DiazGranados
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.forename: Antoinette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coe
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Selby-Penczak
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hobgood
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abbey
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delafuente
authors.forename: Suzanne F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D011361:Professional Competence; D013336:Students, Health Occupations; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D014768:Virginia