Medical students, clinicians support integrated care education

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Integrated care (IC) — a multidisciplinary and coordinated approach to health care — is gaining traction among medical students and faculty, according to a recent Rutgers University study published in the Journal of Integrated Care.

The study demonstrated strong support for IC training, underscoring its perceived benefits for patient outcomes, provider experiences and health care costs.

IC — which coordinates physical, mental and social health services — has been shown to improve overall patient well-being while reducing medical expenses. However, despite these advantages, education and experiential training on IC remain limited within medical curricula.

Researchers from the Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care’s Center for Integrated Care conducted one of the first studies examining perceptions of IC training across multiple health professions. The cross-sectional survey included responses from 220 Rutgers faculty, clinicians and students across nine health care disciplines — including students from Rutgers’ schools of medicine, pharmacy, psychology, dental medicine, health professions, nursing and social work and clinicians at University Behavioral Health Care.

Of those surveyed, 97% reported frequent engagement in IC-related activities, including interprofessional consultations and incorporating IC concepts into education and training. Additionally, most of the respondents expressed a willingness to practice IC, acknowledging its benefits in improving patient care and professional collaboration.

“Rutgers is a pioneer in integrated care education,” said Stephanie Marcello, PhD, chief psychologist of the University Behavioral Health Care and an author of the study. “Although interprofessional education and experiential training in integrated care is limited, we are seeing more universities training in this model.”

Despite the enthusiasm for IC education, the study identified some challenges, including insufficient faculty trained in IC methodologies, a lack of structured curricula and limited experiential learning opportunities. Organizational and resource constraints were cited as the most significant obstacles, while knowledge gaps were not considered strong barriers.

The study also emphasized the role of holistic care practices in preventive medicine. “When health care professionals — pharmacists, behavioral health care professionals, nurses, social workers — work as a team to provide care, they improve patient satisfaction, lower health care costs and reduce employee absenteeism and turnover,” Marcello explained.

Additionally, embedding behavioral health screenings into routine medical visits can encourage patients to seek mental health care, ultimately improving overall health outcomes. “Patients are screened for depression, anxiety and substance use just as taking blood pressure and height and weight is standard practice,” Marcello said. “General practitioners can then consult with an on-site behavioral health specialist on how a patient’s physical health might be affected by their mental health and provide interventions right there in the room.”

As the demand for IC training continues to grow within the medical community, researchers stress the need for expanded academic and clinical opportunities. “We want to build these academic standards where integrated care training is embedded in health profession curricula,” Marcello said. “We want to ensure that the next generation is learning team-based collaborative skills, so patients can receive this coordinated treatment that not only address that physical needs, but their behavioral needs as well.”