Creating Optimal Clinical Learning Environments Through Interprofessional Bedside Rounding Models: Lessons From the iPACE Story.

Abstract: The Interprofessional Partnership to Advance Care and Education (iPACE) model was developed and implemented at Maine Medical Center in 2016 as part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Pursuing Excellence in Clinical Learning Environments (CLE) demonstration project. The model is based on the belief that, in optimal CLEs, residents are trained in team-based, interprofessional collaborative care and use clinical care experiences to innovate in the areas of patient safety and quality of care. The model's inclusion of systems engineering principles, such as design thinking, allows teams to design, customize, and iteratively improve their own iPACE model.The iPACE model was further developed and disseminated with support from an American Medical Association Reimagining Residency grant and from the MaineHealth health system's medical education and clinical leadership. iPACE started as a small pilot project on a single inpatient unit and has evolved to become the standard for inpatient team rounds at the bedside. iPACE has received positive feedback from patients, demonstrated benefits to care team members and resident education, and proven its value to the health system through sustained reductions in length of stay and cost of care metrics. The iPACE project has fulfilled MMC's original goal of intentionally redesigning its CLEs to expose residents to high-functioning interprofessional teams with the goal of improving patient care and safety. The model has shown direct learner benefits through increased faculty observation and improved quality of feedback. Interprofessional bedside rounding models like iPACE have the potential to imprint learners with the skills and behaviors essential to provide collaborative patient-centered care. Strategies exist that improve resident and faculty engagement in bedside rounding models like iPACE and should be employed to encourage teaching and learning at the bedside.