Peer coaching in an interprofessional academic primary care clinic

Abstract

Abstract Health professions trainees often provide one another with support and performance-related feedback, but seldom receive formal training on how to provide such support and feedback in an interprofessional setting. Peer coaching is a promising format of professional development and training that enhances non-competitive relationships among peers to provide support and improve task performance through goal-setting, direct observations, self-evaluation, and coach feedback. The Peer Coaching Curriculum was developed in an interprofessional academic primary care clinic and implemented among two cohorts of internal medicine residents and nurse practitioner trainees over the course of an academic year. Four learning objectives included: 1) practicing a collaborative communication style using motivational interviewing strategies, 2) performing direct observations of patient encounters by peer coaches, 3) applying collaborative communication elements to the delivery of feedback based on clinic observations, and 4) determining if participants’ self-reflection and insight were enhanced by engaging in this curriculum. The curriculum was delivered jointly by a health psychology postdoctoral fellow and a chief medical resident. Curricular interventions included brief didactic sessions and small group skills practice in a classroom setting followed by direct clinical observations and feedback in the primary care clinic. Participants were assessed using two questionnaires, the Self Reflection and Insight Scale and the Peer Coaching Inventory, and by behavioral counts of motivational interviewing strategies employed during a simulated skills demonstration. The majority of designated peer coaches successfully demonstrated the use of motivational interviewing strategies. Over the course of the sessions, participants demonstrated an increased understanding of peer coaching and an enhanced level of insight into the thought processes of themselves and others, suggesting that this curriculum inculcated important skills in an interprofessional learning environment. Descriptions of key curricular activities, a facilitator guide, and evaluation questionnaires are provided that may be adapted for other practice settings.