A version of this article was published in the Glebe Report; on page 29 of the June 2019 issue. For the link to that version of the article click here or for a downloadable file here. 
Imagine walking into a clinic and having all the related experts there, in one place, all aware of what you need. What if you no longer wasted time and effort going from one specialist to another but could go into an interdisciplinary clinic where multiple experts would listen to you, then discuss your case and determine whom you will see and what will be done?
As indicated by president and CEO of CHEO, Alex Munter “Our healthcare system excels at acute care and urgent cases. But we fail at chronic needs that require more than one specialty.” Thus, with this awareness student started an initiative that seeks to plant the seeds of collaboration into our healthcare system. This initiative is necessary for progress as Dr. Jack Kitts CEO of the Ottawa Hospital, proposed “we need leaders because we need change. If we don’t change, we don’t get better.”
These leaders host an annual Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference on Healthcare (ISRCH), the last one held on March 30th, 2019. ISRCH is a student-run conference dedicated to the importance of interdisciplinary care for the improvement of healthcare and patient care.
The annual event, which is open to the public, includes keynote speakers and workshops that cover various subjects. There are also research presentations by Undergraduate, Masters and PhD students from various faculties, which are evaluated by professors outside of their field of study to foster knowledge translation and hence cooperation.
Alex Munter imparted “When I attended the Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference on Healthcare, I was really pleased to see tomorrow’s health care practitioners already making a difference today. The best future for health care is teams of professionals from many disciplines partnering with patients and families to keep people well, prevent disease and treat ill health. The ISRCH provided a rich opportunity for learning for everyone who was involved – students, faculty, speakers and guests.”
The event ends with an open panel discussion that address critical issues and suggests possible solutions through an interdisciplinary approach. ISRCH 2019’s panel debated whether there is an over-prescription of psychiatric drugs compared to other methods in the adolescent population.
Thus, an epidemiologist, a CHEO psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, a Royal Hospital pharmacist and a social worker presented their individual approach to the case all the while delivering examples, research and statistical evidence to support their points. Once the panel had expressed their individual responses, they voiced the need for collaboration and encouraged the support for such a system to be put in place. Students were also involved by participating in a Q&A.
This is a unique opportunity for specialists and a greater one for students as they don’t get access to such teaching approaches nor get involved in such debates in a university class setting.
In support of this initiative, Dean Thibault, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, shared: “You have my complete support for such an effort. I myself was able to learn more about how some of my faculty’s professors conduct their research. You are the interprofessional teams that will play a part in healthcare and wellbeing. It is a great opportunity for current professionals as well, to connect and share their knowledge.” She added, “Next year, I would like to support you and be one of the judges to help students with their presentations. I hope to see this becoming more and more bilingual.”
The goal is a future of an interdisciplinary approach in healthcare which will not only save us money but will also save patients time, effort and frustration.
Disclaimer: I am part of the conference planning team, however I made sure that the feedback is objective i.e. participants, CEOs of CHEO and Ottawa Hospital and Dean of Faculty at U of O.