Evaluating interprofessional education: An important step to improving practice and influencing policy

Dissecting through the decade: a 10-year cross-sectional analysis of interprofessional experiences in the anatomy lab

Interprofessional education (IPE) is prioritized as a critical component in preparing pre-licensure health professional students for effective teamwork and collaboration in the workplace to facilitate patient-centered care. Knowledge in anatomy is fundamental for healthcare professionals, making interprofessional anatomy education an attractive intervention for IPE and anatomy learning. Since 2009, the Education Program in Anatomy at McMaster University has offered an intensive 10-week IPE Anatomy Dissection elective to seven health professional programs annually. From 2011, students were invited to complete the Readiness for Interprofessional Scale (RIPLS) and Interprofessional Education Perception Scale (IEPS) before and after the elective. A total of 264 students from 2011 to 2020 completed RIPLS and IEPS. There were significant differences before and after the elective in students' total RIPLS scores and three of the four subscales: teamwork and collaboration, positive professional identity, and roles and responsibilities. Similarly, there were statistical differences in the total IEPS scores and two of three subscales: competency and autonomy and perceived actual cooperation. Statistically significant differences in RIPLS and IEPS total scores across several disciplines were also observed. This study demonstrates the elective's impact in improving students' IPE perceptions and attitudes, likely from the extended learning and exposure opportunity with other disciplines.

Translation and validation of the Swedish version of the IPECC-SET 9 item version

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is essential to prepare future health-care professionals for collaborative practice, but IPE requires evaluation. One psychometrically sound instrument is the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competence Self-Efficacy Tool consisting of nine items (IPECC-SET 9). This tool does not, to date, exist in a Swedish version. Therefore, the aim of this study was to translate and validate the Swedish version of the IPECC-SET 9. The English version was translated into Swedish and tested among 159 students in the 3-year Bachelor Programs in Nursing and in Biomedical Laboratory Science. The psychometric analysis was guided by a Rasch model, which showed that the items functioned well together, confirming unidimensionality, and that the person misfit was also lower than the set criterion. The separation index was 2.98, and the Rasch-equivalent Cronbach-alpha measure was estimated to .92, supporting internal consistency. No systematic differences on item level in IPECC-SET 9 further supported fairness in testing. The Swedish IPECC-SET 9 demonstrates sound psychometric properties and has the potential to be used as a measure of self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice among health profession students. However, the IPECC-SET 9 is recommended to be further tested in larger samples representing the entirety of health-care teams.

Interprofessional education in the Dentistry curriculum: Analysis of a teaching-service-community integration experience

INTRODUCTION

Interprofessional education (IPE) offers relevant theoretical, conceptual and methodological approaches to the development of effective teamwork competencies.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse an interprofessional experience of teaching-service-community integration carried out at a public university in the South of Brazil.

METHODS

A case study with a qualitative approach was carried out. The study's participants were thirty-eight undergraduate dental students who attended the IPE activity between 2012 and 2019. Data collection was developed in two sequential steps that included the application of an online instrument and semi-structured interviews. The textual material was interpreted by content analysis, considering Kirkpatrick's evaluation levels (reaction, learning and behaviour).

RESULTS

In the reaction level, students highlighted the contents provided by the National Curricular Guidelines regarding public health system and teamwork, as well as the pedagogical teaching proposal by tutoring groups, which stimulated students' autonomy. It was observed that the learning was geared towards the development of collaborative teamwork competencies and cultural competencies. In the behaviour level, students perceived positive changes in their attitudes and behaviours towards patients, focused on needs related to life conditions, realising that dentists may work within a team. The elective/optional nature of the experience allied with the absence of other IPE activities in the curricular grid showed to be challenging.

CONCLUSION

IPE in undergraduate education presented positive results related to the reaction, learning and behaviour of dental students. We recommend the inclusion of interprofessional activities of teaching-service-community integration in Dentistry curricular structure to complement uniprofessional education.

A 3-year quantitative evaluation of interprofessional team-based clinical education at an Australian dental school

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

Clinical educational challenges led to the Griffith University School of Dentistry and Oral Health (DOH) introducing interprofessional team-based treatment planning (TBTP). This paper evaluates the interprofessional contribution made to student clinical learning and experience among dentistry, oral health therapy, dental prosthetics, and dental technology students.

METHODS

A mixed methodology approach targeting 845 students collected data annually employing a prevalidated online instrument from 2012 to 2014 to answer the question: "What is the contribution of interprofessional student team-based processes on students' perceptions of interprofessional practice at DOH?"

RESULTS

A representative study sample with a 64.4% response rate (N = 544) reported TBTP creating a supportive environment for interprofessional clinical learning. Significant improvements in learning shared across disciplines indicated improvements in mutual respect, understanding roles, and constructive communication enhancing teamwork. There were increasing significant correlations between shared learning and positive clinical experiences from 2012 (r = .642, p < .000) to 2013 (r = .678, p < .000) and 2014 (r = .719, p < .000). A combination of TBTP predictors accounted for 53% of the variance in clinical learning and experience in 2014 compared to 40% in 2012.

CONCLUSION

Learning with other students, developing teamwork abilities, improved communication skills, and respect for other oral health professions were aspects of TBTP that positively impacted clinical learning and practice at DOH. Further study would assist to determine specific elements that made the greatest contribution to student learning experiences.

Open and Distance Learning Programs for Nursing and Midwifery Education in East Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Background

In the face of growing modernity and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, open and distance learning (ODL) is considered to play an important role in increasing access to education worldwide. There is a robust evidence base demonstrating its cost effectiveness in comparison with conventional class-based teaching; however, the transition to this new paradigm of learning for nursing and midwifery courses has been difficult in low-income countries. While there are notable efforts to increase internet and education access to health care professionals, not much is known about ODL for nurses and midwives in East African countries.

Objective

The objective of this scoping review is to understand whether ODL programs for nursing and midwifery education exist, the drivers of their adoption, their implementation, the topics/courses covered, their acceptability, and their impacts in East African countries.

Methods

The scoping review methodology employs the framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley. Using an exploratory approach, a two-stage screening process consisting of a title and abstract scan and a full-text review will be used to determine the eligibility of articles. To be included, articles must report on an existing ODL initiative for nurses and midwives in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. All articles will be independently assessed for eligibility by pairs of reviewers, and all eligible articles will be abstracted and charted in duplicate using a standardized form.

Results

Details of ODL for nursing and midwifery education initiatives and study outcomes will be summarized in a table. The extracted data will undergo exploratory descriptive analysis, and the results will be classified into learner and clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Evidence on ODL for nursing and midwifery education will inform the ongoing development and restructuring of health care professional education in East Africa amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/17765

Top tips for interprofessional education and collaborative practice research: a guide for students and early career researchers

Interprofessional research within the contexts of education and health and social care practice has grown exponentially within the past three decades. To maintain the momentum of high-quality research, it is important that early career researchers embarking on their first research journey and new to interprofessional education or interprofessional collaborative practice feel supported in making their contribution to the field. This guide, developed by the Center for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) Research Group, has been written with these groups in mind who are embarking on their first research journey, and new to the interprofessional field. It aims to raise awareness of academic resources and share practical advice from those who have previously experienced problems when undertaking interprofessional research in education or health and social care practice.