The effectiveness of interprofessional education in healthcare: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Pharmacy and physician assistant students experience benefits from an interprofessional education experience incorporating motivational interviewing training

Background

While interprofessional education (IPE) has become commonplace, incorporation of motivational interviewing (MI) using standardized patients (SPs) has been rare, particularly use of a multi-pronged strategy of engagement among pharmacy and physician assistant students.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of an IPE MI training intervention that employed students in teams interacting with standardized patients (SPs); specifically, the intervention impact on MI self-efficacy, professional identity formation (PIF) and attitudes toward interprofessional care.

Methods

First-year PharmD students (PGY1) and second-year physician assistant students (PA-S2) underwent a three-hour didactic class session featuring lecture and video simulations followed by an activity where teams of 6-8 students interacted with 5 different standardized patients (SPs). The educational intervention also featured a group debriefing session and written reflection prompted by answering several questions about how they fared with the SPs. Students' completed pre- and post- intervention surveys featuring standardized instrumentation measuring self-efficacy to engage in MI, professional identity formation, and attitudes toward interprofessional education.

Results

Students did not achieve substantive gains in MI self-efficacy, yet reported significant improvements in professional identity formation and attitudes toward interprofessional education. Qualitative comments from the post-intervention survey were positive for interprofessional integration and team dynamics (n = 14), though both PGY1 and PA-S2 students commented that academic year concordance, i.e., matching a PGY1 with a PA-S1, in future simulations could improve self-efficacy and confidence.

Conclusions

An IPE event featuring lecture, interaction with SPs, and an opportunity for mutual self-reflection on one another's roles in patient care might be beneficial to include in pharmacy and PA curriculum, even while such endeavors might be further enhanced using a longitudinal approach.

Medical and Pharmacy Students' Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Injectable HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Ending the HIV epidemic in the United States will require increasing the uptake of HIV biomedical prevention strategies, such as injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). One avenue to potentially increase injectable PrEP prescriptions is to educate the next generation of healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to examine injectable PrEP knowledge, awareness, and willingness to perform injectable PrEP-related clinical activities among medical and pharmacy students. From November 2022-January 2023, we conducted a web-based, cross-sectional observational study among 395 medical and pharmacy students from one public university in New York State. The survey assessed injectable PrEP awareness, knowledge, familiarity with injectable PrEP prescribing guidelines, comfort performing injectable PrEP-related clinical activities, and willingness to perform injectable PrEP-related activities. Overall, participants reported low injectable PrEP awareness, knowledge, and familiarity with prescribing guidelines. Despite this, participants reported relatively high levels of comfort with performing injectable PrEP-related tasks. While there were no statistically significant differences in domains of interest, pharmacy students reported greater awareness, knowledge, familiarity with prescribing guidelines, and comfort performing injectable PrEP-related tasks. Linear regression models illustrated that pharmacy students were statistically significantly less willing to initiate a conversation about injectable PrEP with eligible patients compared to medical students. Future healthcare providers will play a pivotal role in implementing new biomedical prevention strategies for HIV, including injectable PrEP. Results illustrate the need for additional educational programs to increase injectable PrEP knowledge among health professional students.

Cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the university of the West England interprofessional questionnaire (UWE-IP) for Turkish health education programs: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy and consistency of the University of the West England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP) in Turkish health education settings. The aim was to evaluate its efficacy in gauging interprofessional attitudes among students from diverse healthcare fields.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 391 students from medical, nursing, and home care technician programs who participated in clinical internships. The UWE-IP was utilized to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale, utilising exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to establish the internal structure and reliability.

RESULTS

The original four-factor structure of the UWE-IP scale was refined to a three-factor model, encompassing 'communication and teamwork,' 'interprofessional learning,' and a combined 'interprofessional interaction and relationships' factor. This revised structure demonstrated sound reliability and validity y, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. The factor loadings varied between 0.044 and 0.746, demonstrating a strong level of support for the scale's reliability in assessing interprofessional attitudes in the Turkish setting.

CONCLUSIONS

The study affirms the validity and reliability of the UWE-IP scale for implementation in Turkish health education, highlighting its significance in assessing and improving interprofessional education. The cultural adaptation of the scale represents an important step forward in evaluating multidisciplinary training results, thereby contributing to improved healthcare services and patient outcomes in Turkey.

Oral Health Care for People with Disability: Curriculum Content in Oral Health Programs

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

The shortage of dental practitioners willing to treat people with disability has become a significant concern, attributed mainly to inadequate undergraduate education and clinical experience in special needs dentistry (SND). Working closely with dentists, the Oral Health Therapy workforce is highly skilled in preventive dentistry, and they could provide dental services to enhance accessibility for people with disability. This study aimed to assess the current state of SND education within oral health programs and highlight the importance of high-quality SND training to prepare oral health graduates to manage the dental needs of people with disability.

METHODS

A total of 39 oral health institutions offering undergraduate programs in Oral Health Therapy, Dental Therapy, and Dental Hygiene from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland were selected. An online survey was distributed in March 2024, to collect data on the status of SND education, teaching methods, clinical training opportunities, and curriculum resources.

RESULTS

Survey responses from eleven institutions (28% response rate) revealed variability in the current status and comprehensiveness of SND education. Some programs offered dedicated courses, while others provided only a limited overview. The SND teaching and instructions are primarily provided by qualified dental hygienists, dental therapists, and oral health therapists with specialised training and experience in disability (73%). Classroom-based instruction was the most common teaching method, with limited clinical training opportunities.

CONCLUSION(S)

The findings emphasise the need for standardised guidelines to ensure consistency and adequacy in SND education across oral health programs. Enhancing clinical training opportunities, promoting interprofessional collaboration, and expanding educational resources are essential steps toward improving oral health care for people with disability.

'It Takes a Village to Raise a Resident': Lessons Learned on Interprofessional Socialization and Collaborative Practice from Recent Medical Graduates

Introduction

Interprofessional education for collaborative practice (IPECP) within pre-licensure health education supports development of collaborative healthcare teams. However, challenges to enacting collaboration exist within contemporary healthcare practice. This study explores the professional socialization experiences of recent medical graduates during early residency/practice to understand contributions of undergraduate IPECP for new medical professionals' development of an interprofessional identity and readiness for collaborative healthcare practice.

Methods

Interpretive, narrative methodology was used to explore the early residency/practice experiences of recent medical graduates (n = 8). Participants were recruited from a longitudinal study of the IPECP experiences of students from five health programs. Interviews centred on personal, social and systemic factors that enable and challenge new graduates' interprofessional identity development.

Results

Narratives reveal that developing an interprofessional identity evolves through exposure to interprofessional settings and collaboration in practice. Mentorship from experienced professionals and exposure to collaborative teamwork were facilitators for interprofessional socialization. However, prevailing healthcare culture and settings dictate the level to which meaningful connection and collaboration can occur. The attitudes and behaviours of practicing healthcare professionals were found to reinforce professional hierarchies, stereotypes and a profession-specific identity for new graduates.

Discussion

IPECP experiences which address and deconstruct professional hierarchies and stereotypes are needed in education and practice settings to promote collaboration. Preparing new medical professionals to assume their role within interprofessional teams is contingent on the provision of 'real' collaborative experiences and interprofessional exposure.

Conclusion

Findings support the development of IPECP programming in health education/practice that address barriers to collaborative practice and promotes interprofessional identity development.

Experiences of interprofessional learning among students in primary healthcare settings: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

Previous research on interprofessional learning in primary healthcare has been focused on students' learning in the encounter with the patient. However, the research is limited, and a review of the experiences of patients, students, and supervisors of interprofessional learning in primary healthcare is lacking. The focus of this scoping review is to describe the current knowledge and also to identify knowledge gaps.

DESIGN

A scoping review in which blocks of keywords and synonyms were used for achieving a high level of subject precision together with a qualitative thematic analysis for the presentation of the results.

DATA SOURCES

Publications from 2012 to 2024 were searched for in the PubMed, CINAHL and ERIC databases.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

Peer-reviewed studies with a qualitative design describing the experiences of patients, students and supervisors of interprofessional learning in primary healthcare were included.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

The articles were retrieved, stored and reviewed in a shared online folder. All the authors participated in the scoping review. The decisions on inclusion/exclusion were made after a systematic, multidisciplinary team approach, which involved all the authors in the discussions to reach a consensus.

RESULTS

The results showed that interprofessional learning helped the students to focus on the patient and that the students broadened their perspectives when working together. The results showed that supervisors planned for interprofessional learning by setting aside time for the students to get to know each other. The supervisors confirmed that interprofessional learning contributed to the primary healthcare employees remaining abreast with high professional standards, with updated knowledge, more resources and the implementation of several organisational changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Interprofessional learning contributed to a patient-centred approach that provided new insights and expanded knowledge for students in professional training. More research is needed to understand how interprofessional learning between different professions can be developed.

Healthcare professional perspective on barriers and facilitators of multidisciplinary team working in acute care setting: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

OBJECTIVE

A multidisciplinary team is essential to providing high-quality, patient-centred care. However, its effectiveness can be either hindered or facilitated by various factors, such as the need for rapid decision-making, which may compromise patient outcomes despite individual efforts. The aim of this study is to synthesise the factors that may act as barriers and facilitators to the work of multidisciplinary teams in managing labour within acute care settings.

DESIGN

A systematic qualitative review and meta-synthesis was conducted following the five-step methodology proposed by Sandelowski et al.

DATA SOURCE

Three databases (Medline, Embase and Scopus) were systematically searched without time restrictions up to 25 May 2024.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

Qualitative studies exploring perspectives, experiences and other similar factors were included. These studies were assessed for methodological quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

The reviewers independently searched, screened and coded the results of the included studies. Data were synthesised using the method proposed by Thomas and Harden.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies were included in the meta-synthesis. Four key dimensions emerged, reflecting both the barriers and the facilitators of multidisciplinary team performances: (1) organisational variables, (2) individual variables, (3) collaborative variables and (4) role variables. A total of 36 variables were identified, which could function as barriers (n=6; eg, high staff turnover), facilitators (n=6; eg, strong listening skills) or both (n=24; eg, team climate), depending on the context.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-synthesis identifies specific barriers and facilitators and variables that can act as both. Understanding these factors enables targeted interventions to enhance the performance of multidisciplinary teams in clinical practice, particularly in acute care settings.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022297395.

A short elective supports the attitudes of medicine and pharmacy students towards interprofessional learning: a pre-post design

INTRODUCTION

With increasing medical and pharmaceutical challenges, the importance of interprofessional working and education (IPE) is growing. The expected benefits of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) of physicians and pharmaceutical staff and the existing gap in their practical experience support this burgeoning importance of IPE. To date, evidence on how IPE can contribute to students' attitudes on IPC is scarce.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate whether an interprofessional educational intervention could lead to an improved attitude towards interprofessional collaboration.

METHOD

25 medical students and 37 pharmacy students participated in a non-controlled exploratory before-after study. To assess attitudes towards IPE, students filled out the SPICE-2D questionnaire, which consists of three domains and ten items. Data was analyzed descriptively and using paired t-tests to test mean differences between the two measurements on domain and item level.

RESULT

In total, 31 participants completed both pre- and post-surveys. We found significant improvements across all three domains of the SPICE-2D questionnaire. On item level we found significant improvements in seven out of ten items. No significant group differences were found (e.g. gender or study course).

CONCLUSION

Results show that the elective with a focus on IPE had a positive impact on the attitudes of medical and pharmacy students about interprofessionalism and collaboration. Findings suggest and confirm that standardized and structured IPE can positively improve attitudes. Further studies are recommended to validate these findings, especially with bigger sample sizes and long-term effects.

Primary health care in Austria: qualitative analysis of requirements and challenges in interprofessional collaboration from the perspective of health care and social professionals

BACKGROUND

Primary health care (PHC) delivered in Austria's newly established primary health care units (PHCU) is based on interprofessional collaboration (IPC) between health care and social professionals.

AIM

This study aims to explore the requirements and challenges in IPC in Austrian PHCUs from the perspective of health care and social professionals.

METHODS

15 semi-standardized, online, mono-professional focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 58 professionals with the following backgrounds: biomedical sciences, dietetics, medical training therapy, medicine, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, office assistance, orthoptics, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, radiography, social work, and speech therapy. The participants were representatives from PHC practice (especially PHCUs), respective educational institutions, and professional organizations. The data were inductively analysed using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring.

FINDINGS

The analysis displayed two main fields discussed by the participants, the setting for IPC and the professional relationships. The content analysis revealed three and four topics, respectively, within the main discussion fields. Within the setting for IPC, these topics were elaborated on (1) the operational area where IPC takes place in PHC, (2) the structural and organizational premises for this cooperation in PHCUs, and (3) the observed benefits of PHCUs for patients. Regarding the professional relationships, these topics were discoursed: (1) successful IPC, (2) challenges in IPC, (3) competencies required for IPC, and (4) previous and present corresponding training content.

CONCLUSION

Austrian health care and social professionals aim to get more involved in PHC in general and PHCUs specifically. They see opportunities and also challenges for their professional groups. Specific training is desired focusing on the unique requirements of Austrian PHCUs and equipping the workforce for the intensive, necessary, and beneficial collaboration between multiple professional groups in the increasingly important setting.

Understanding how midwife-led continuity of care can be implemented and under what circumstances: a realist review

OBJECTIVES

To understand how and under what circumstances midwife-led continuity of care (MLCC) can be implemented in high-income countries.

DESIGN

A realist review was conducted to examine interactions between contexts, mechanisms and outcomes.

METHODS

An initial programme theory described a hypothesis of how MLCC might be implemented successfully. Literature from a systematic search on the implementation of MLCC was synthesised and supplemented with unstructured searches to identify literature that reinforced the emerging concepts. The synthesis was an iterative process, endorsed in consultation with stakeholders, leading to a refined programme theory.

RESULTS

A total of 45 documents were included. The mechanisms identified can be grouped around macrolevel challenges, leadership, role ambiguity and conflict, and personal and professional boundaries. Despite strong evidence supporting MLCC, diverse stakeholder interests and power dynamics hinder its implementation. Implementing MLCC disrupts established roles and power structures, creating uncertainty and anxiety at all levels. To successfully navigate healthcare providers through the transition, both formal and informal leaders must demonstrate the courage and vision to challenge existing norms.

CONCLUSIONS

Realist methodology allowed the identification of mechanisms that often remain unnoticed but significantly impact the implementation of MLCC. Concrete policies and guidelines are essential to ensure consistency in care delivery. Collaborative efforts and a shared philosophy among all stakeholders, combined with strong leadership that builds trust and addresses anxiety, can create a supportive environment for MLCC implementation.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42023446437.

Defining core competencies for telehealth in healthcare higher education: A Delphi study

BACKGROUND

While technology brings many opportunities for optimizing and improving health services, the lack of professionals trained in telehealth poses an important obstacle. Despite the existance of core competency frameworks for some healthcare professions, there is currently no consensus or guidelines on the core competencies that telehealth professionals should possess within the context of a higher education curriculum. This can hinder the potential benefits of healthcare service delivery.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a consensus on the core competencies in telehealth that should be integrated into higher education curricula for healthcare professionals.

METHODS

A three-round international eDelphi study was conducted. The panel comprised of a diverse group of experts in telehealth, clinicians, lectures and professors, administrators, and teaching coordinators. In the first round, an international steering committee developed a list of competencies that were presented to the panel members and they were asked to rate their level of agreement and suggest additional competencies. The consensus was established based on the competencies that achieved a high level of agreement (>75%) by the end of the third round.

RESULTS

We included 100 panellists from 18 different countries. By the end of the third round, we reached a consensus for 47 core competencies in a telehealth curriculum organized into 12 domains: principles of telehealth; care planning and management; assessment, diagnosis, and treatment; adequacy of the environment; professionalism; legal aspects; patient privacy; patient safety; access and equity; patient preference; technology; applicability of telehealth.

CONCLUSION

We identified the core competencies in a telehealth curriculum organized into 12 domains to be used as a foundation for training future health professionals.

What is the effect of different interprofessional education teaching strategies on healthcare professions students' interprofessional learning outcomes? A systematic narrative review

AIM

To explore different types of interprofessional education (IPE) teaching strategies used in pre-licensure interprofessional learning programmes and the effective components of these strategies in promoting student learning, IPE skills, behavioural change, organisational practice, or patient health outcomes.

BACKGROUND

IPE is rapidly becoming a core element of health professions preparation programmes worldwide, but the differential effects of different ways of delivering IPE are not well documented.

DESIGN

Systematic narrative review.

METHOD

Systematic searches were completed in four major biomedical databases from inception until 2023. The most dominant approach for each study was used to classify the studies. The standardised effect of different IPE interventions on healthcare professional students' interprofessional learning outcomes were extracted and compared.

RESULTS

Simulation was commonly used by IPE educators in undergraduate health education settings, changing participants' attitudes toward interprofessional learning. In addition, role-play, group discussion, and case studies showed significant benefits in improving communication and collaboration abilities. Based on the component analysis of the included 24 studies, IPE developers were recommended to consider key elements in designing effective education interventions, including a specific teaching setting, a well-designed strategy, an appropriate guiding theory, and suitable educational outcomes which target the learning elements that the intervention was designed to affect.

CONCLUSION

The available data suggested that no single teaching strategy was superior in improving health students' interprofessional learning outcomes. Controlled intervention studies that randomise similar student populations to different IPE strategies are needed to improve understanding of their comparative effects on different learning outcomes.

Enhancing the understanding of safety and the quality of patient care among medical and health sciences students in interprofessional climate: an interventional study

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education (IPE) plays an essential role in improving healthcare outcomes through achieving shared understanding. Unfortunately, most healthcare professionals have not received training for patient safety (PS) in an interprofessional setting, which can meet the societal medical needs. This study aimed to foster the understanding of senior medical, dental, pharmacy and health sciences students about PS and quality of care at the University of Sharjah (UoS) in UAE.

METHODS

Using a convenience sampling technique, we recruited students from the College of Medicine (CoM), College of Pharmacy (CoP), College of Dental Medicine (CDM), and College of Health Sciences (CHS) of UoS. The study was conducted in spring 2023, and an ethical approval was obtained from the UoS Research Ethics Committee (REC-21-12-12). After a thorough literature search, a bespoke English language questionnaire was developed covering three domains-medical professionalism, leadership in healthcare, and precision medicine. To ensure its validity across different settings, cultural adaptation was ensured with reiterative revision among the panel of experts. The online synchronous real-time workshop included interactive resource sessions, breakout room discussions using real clinical cases, and pre-post surveys using the questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 248 students and 20 facilitators participated in the workshop. CoM had the highest representation (47.5%), followed by CoP (36.5%), CHS (13.3%), and CDM (2.7%). There was a statistically improved understanding of the participants, as reflected by significantly high scores of post-test survey in all domains of PS across all colleges (p < 0.001). Notably, students in years four and five from CoM and CoP showed significant improvement in their perceptions than other colleges (p < 0.001). The participants encountered challenges of weak internet connections, software issues, technical failures, and power outages during the workshop.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the positive impact of an IPE-based interventional workshop on students' attitudes, perceptions, and insights about PS and quality of care. Students' understanding and insights of PS and quality of care underscore the paramount role of IPE in improving perceptions and approaches towards PS in the context of healthcare education.

Facilitators and barriers to interprofessional learning, collaboration, and identity development during interprofessional internship in rehabilitation care: A qualitative study

The growing complexity of care and healthcare workforce shortages in the Netherlands necessitates exploring interprofessional collaboration (IPC). However, the predominant single-professional education may result in a professional identity (PI) among healthcare students, which may not support successful IPC. Internships in student-run interprofessional learning wards (SR-IPLW) could foster interprofessional identity (IPI) development. There is a need for a better understanding of the intricacies involved in learning to work collaboratively, particularly when undergraduates are still shaping their professional identities. Our aim, therefore, was to identify facilitators and barriers for interprofessional education (IPE), IPC, and identity development among 21 healthcare students during a 20-week clinical placement on a SR-IPLW in rehabilitation medicine. An action-based prospective study using grounded theory analysis of nine focus groups across three semesters identified 17 theoretical codes. These codes are elaborated in a conceptual model highlighting facilitators and barriers for IPC and identity development, emphasizing the importance of fostering feelings of relatedness, competence, and autonomy. There are indications that professional and interprofessional identities changed during the internship. Implications for preceptors are delineated, showing the importance of personal relationships and elements of a positive learning climate.

Evaluation of an interprofessional education program involving medical and pharmacy students: a mixed-method study

BACKGROUND

Effective pharmacotherapy requires strong collaboration between physicians and pharmacists, highlighting the need for interprofessional education (IPE) in university curricula. This study evaluated the impact of an IPE program on medical and pharmacy students, focusing on their perceived development of interprofessional collaborative competencies, perceived learning outcomes, and clinical collaboration perceptions.

METHODS

A mixed-method approach was employed to evaluate an IPE program that consisted of three mandatory activities with increased complexity and autonomy, that were integrated into the medical and pharmacy students' curricula. From September 2022 to June 2023, using a retrospective pre-post approach, students rated their competence levels after an educational activity using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale (ICCAS). The participants also answered open-ended survey questions about their learning outcomes. Medical students participated in both uniprofessional education (UPE) and IPE, while pharmacy students participated exclusively in IPE. Effect sizes for competency development were estimated, and subgroup analyses were performed to examine the impact of multiple IPE activities. Semi-structured interviews provided additional qualitative insights, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 309 surveys completed (response rate 64%, with 274 medical and 35 pharmacy students), all 21 ICCAS items showed statistically significant improvement in both UPE (n = 127) and IPE (n = 182) (p < 0.05). While effect sizes for UPE were small across all items, IPE had medium effect sizes for six items and large effect sizes for two items. Overall, students rated themselves as more capable of interprofessional collaboration after IPE, with 55% (n = 124) reporting feeling 'somewhat better' and 6% (n = 14) feeling 'much better,' compared to 16% (n = 12) and 0%, respectively, after UPE. Competency development seems to improve slightly with an increased number of IPE activities. Pharmacy students reported somewhat higher post-activity scores than medical students did. Qualitative data from open-ended survey responses and interviews with six medical students and four pharmacy students highlighted a deeper understanding of professional roles and a greater appreciation for collaborative work through this program.

CONCLUSIONS

This IPE program focused on pharmacotherapy improved self-perceived interprofessional collaborative competencies among medical and pharmacy students. Through multiple interprofessional activities, students can develop a deeper understanding of professional roles and improve collaborative skills.

Team training for the interprofessional management of opioid use disorder with the ECHO model

Expanding workforce training opportunities for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment is a priority. We report on the impact of a 6-month-long team training program using the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model to scale an interprofessional education (IPE) intervention to primary care teams who offered medications for OUD treatment as part of their care plan. Thirteen healthcare teams participated in the program's first cohort. We studied 52 participants' pre-post responses to seven scales that examined individual efficacy, team efficacy, high performance teamwork behaviors, adaptive teamwork behaviors, ability to treat patients in two case examples, and stigma and harm reduction. Significant improvements occurred on six scales. Large effect sizes were observed for individual efficacy (d = 0.78), team efficacy (d = 1.25), and team's ability to treat patients (d = 0.77, d = 0.83). Moderate effect sizes were observed for high performance teamwork behaviors (d = 0.69) and adaptive teamwork behaviors (d = 0.57). Only stigma and harm reduction did not show a change. The training program delivered an IPE-ECHO intervention that was effective at increasing the teams' perceptions of their efficacy, functioning, and ability to treat patients. Future researchers should use objective measures to verify the team's perceptions of their increased ability to work together.

Interprofessional education interventions for healthcare professionals to improve patient safety: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Patient safety incidents, such as adverse events and medical errors, are often caused by ineffective communication and collaboration. Interprofessional education is an effective method for promoting collaborative competencies and has attracted great attention in the context of patient safety. However, the effectiveness of interprofessional education interventions on patient safety remains unclear. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing studies that focused on improving patient safety through interprofessional education interventions for healthcare professionals.

METHODS

Six databases, including Medline (via PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL (via EBSCO), Scopus and Web of Science, were last searched on 20 December 2023. The search records were independently screened by two researchers. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool for Quasi-Experimental Studies was used for quality appraisal. The data were extracted by two researchers and cross-checked. Finally, a narrative synthesis was performed. The protocol for this scoping review was not registered.

RESULTS

Thirteen quasi-experimental studies with moderate methodological quality were included. The results revealed that the characteristics of current interprofessional education interventions were diverse, with a strong interest in simulation-based learning strategies and face-to-face delivery methods. Several studies did not assess the reduction in patient safety incidents involving adverse events or medical errors, relying instead on the improvements in healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitude or practice related to patient safety issues. Less than half of the studies examined team performance, based primarily on the self-evaluation of healthcare professionals and observer-based evaluation. There is a gap in applying newer tools such as peer evaluation and team-based objective structured clinical evaluation.

CONCLUSION

Additional evidence on interprofessional education interventions for improving patient safety is needed by further research, especially randomized controlled trials. Facilitating simulation-based interprofessional education, collecting more objective outcomes of patient safety and selecting suitable tools to evaluate teamwork performance may be the focus of future studies.

Understanding pathways for effective interprofessional education: a thematic analysis of medical and nursing students' insights

BACKGROUND

As the healthcare field is undergoing a paradigm shift, the role of interprofessional education (IPE) is being widely accepted and recognized. Despite this, IPE interventions are not employed globally and the use of such interventions is variable. Additionally, there is an ongoing debate over how and when to employ IPE interventions. This qualitative study was conducted at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) to understand medical and nursing students' attitudes, expectations, perspectives and experiences in relation to IPE.

METHODS

Medical and nursing students from all cycles and levels of the medical and nursing programs at RCSI Bahrain participated in Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and interviews where they discussed issues and opinions related to IPE. These discussions were then transcribed for analysis. Thematic analysis of the data using a grounded theory approach was carried out using a four-staged process of reading transcripts, identifying possible themes and structures and building theory.

RESULTS

16 elected class representatives participated in the study. The comprehensive process of thematic analysis led to the emergence of five themes and associated subthemes: integrated curriculum (realistic interventions, idealistic interventions, varied perspectives), role recognition (communication, task division), understanding of team dynamics (harmonious collaboration, amplification of strengths, team management), cultural practices (organizational culture, interpersonal culture), and social conditioning (identity navigation, stereotype persistence, varied mindsets). The sequential relationship between these themes provides an approach for integrated IPE in healthcare curricula.

CONCLUSION

This qualitative study investigated medical and nursing students' perspectives on IPE at RCSI Bahrain. The identified themes provide a valuable framework for policymakers and medical educators to design and implement effective IPE interventions, thereby enhancing interprofessional collaboration and improving patient outcomes in healthcare settings.

Exploring perceptions of medical students about interprofessional education (IPE): a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Integration of clinical medicine and other subjects has laid more emphasis on the cultivation of high-quality medical talents, with the increasing demand for interprofessional education (IPE). IPE has been promoted by a number of universities to create and sustain authentic IPE activities, with which students can engage. Although IPE has achieved certain results, there are still many problems. Many studies focused on the perspective of educators without understanding the essential needs and experience of students. This study intends to focus on the implementation of IPE from the perspective of medical students.

PURPOSE

To describe the interprofessional experiences of medical students and provide a reference for the development of interprofessional education programs for medical students.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2023, using purposive sampling to select medical students who had interprofessional learning experiences for semi-structured interviews. The study used a phenomenological approach and Colaizzi's phenomenological method for analyzing and summarizing the interprofessional experiences and perceptions to extract themes.

RESULTS

The interprofessional experiences of medical students were distilled into five themes: "cognition and attitude", "practice and collaboration", "motivation and drive", "difficulty and challenge", and "expectation and vision". Students reported their experience and found interprofessional learning beneficial for broadening their horizon and building harmonious healthcare teams. Based on the experience of interprofessional learning, students also put forward expectations and ideas for IPE especially for medical students.

CONCLUSION

Each institution should establish a complete interprofessional education system in accordance with the professional education system of students, to achieve interprofessional education for medical students that adapts to the national conditions of China, and to better improve the overall quality of future medical service teams, to achieve patient-centered high-quality care experience.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Student perspectives on interdisciplinary learning in public health education: insights from a mixed-methods study

Interdisciplinary learning is essential for equipping future health professionals to tackle the complexities of contemporary public health. This mixed-methods study investigates the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate public health students in Singapore on interdisciplinary learning in higher education and employed a convergent parallel design by combining a cross-sectional survey with in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were used to assess the relationship between students' exposure to interdisciplinary learning and its perceived value, while qualitative analysis explored key themes related to facilitators and barriers. Among 52 survey respondents and 11 interview participants, nearly half regularly engaged in interdisciplinary learning. Students with greater exposure to interdisciplinary experiences demonstrated more positive perceptions. Facilitators identified included career development opportunities, faculty engagement, and diverse learning experiences. Barriers such as disciplinary disconnects and the challenge of managing varied skill sets were also highlighted. This study provides valuable insights into interdisciplinary learning in higher education pertaining to public health, particularly within the context of health professions training. The findings suggest that enhancing curricular design, integrating interdisciplinary approaches more effectively, and increasing faculty support can address identified barriers and better prepare students for the demands of their future public health careers.

Measuring Stereotypes in Interprofessional Education: A Pilot High-Fidelity Simulation Study Among Postgraduate Nursing and Physician Students in a Spanish University

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Nursing professionals are often subject to social stereotypes that can hinder effective teamwork with other healthcare professionals and limit their professional growth. Interprofessional education (IPE) enhances teamwork skills and promotes a better understanding of other professional groups. This study aimed to identify the presence of stereotypes associated with nursing among postgraduate nursing and student physicians specializing in emergency medicine and to assess the applicability of simulation as an IPE strategy.

METHODS

A pilot study using high-fidelity simulation activity focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration was designed for students in the master's programs in emergency nursing and emergency medicine at the Catholic University of Murcia. The activity took place in May 2024 and involved 52 participants (24 postgraduate nursing students and 28 postgraduate student physicians). A mixed-method descriptive study was conducted using a 16-item self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality, Fisher's F test, and the Mann-Whitney U test to evaluate the relationship between variables (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

A total of 22 questionnaires were collected (16 from nurses postgraduate student and 6 from postgraduate physicians). Positive attitudes toward nursing stereotypes were found in 9 of the 13 items. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups regarding most stereotypes, except for one. Negative stereotypes about nursing leadership, professional autonomy, and patient relations were more prominent among nursing students.

CONCLUSIONS

Stereotypical perceptions exist among both postgraduate nursing and postgraduate student physicians, particularly in nursing leadership and autonomy. Most participants expressed satisfaction with the simulation-based IPE activity, indicating its value in improving the understanding of other professionals' roles. IPE should be incorporated into health sciences education.

Interprofessional education for healthcare professionals. A BEME realist review of what works, why, for whom and in what circumstances in undergraduate health sciences education: BEME Guide No. 83

AIM

To provide an evidence-informed program theory (PT) for Interprofessional Education (IPE) that adds to the knowledge base of how IPE in undergraduate health sciences education works.

METHODS

We undertook a realist review of the literature and synthesis of the evidence combined with stakeholder experience. Our initial program theory (IPT), built around development, delivery and evaluation of IPE interventions, was tested and refined following an in-depth search of the literature and consultation with stakeholders. The literature (2010-2022) was selected based on the realist criteria of relevance and rigor, as well as on conceptual richness of the studies.

RESULTS

Our PT is built upon 124 CMOs (Context of IPE interventions, Mechanisms that fired within that context, and IPE Outcomes), from 58 studies. Our PT comprises an array of elements found in the Context, including traits and behavioral displays of students and facilitators, and discusses four Mechanisms (feeling responsible, feeling enthusiastic/excited, feeling safe to take risks, and feeling ready), which are likely to lead to outcomes related to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (sub)competencies.

DISCUSSION

Results were linked to learning theories to further build our understanding. The PT can serve as a guide for the development, delivery, and evaluation of IPE interventions.

A methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of interprofessional education strategies based on the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework among vocational healthcare students in China

Interprofessional education (IPE) is rapidly becoming a core element of health professions preparation programs worldwide, but the effectiveness of different IPE strategies and their impacts in different regions and populations remain unclear, especially in the vocational education setting. This article describes the overall research design including the development, testing and preliminary evaluation of the IPE education interventions for Chinese vocational healthcare students, following the procedure outlined in the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and implementing complex interventions in healthcare. The objective is to develop and adapt role-based IPE strategies and evaluate their feasibility and effectiveness on interprofessional competencies of vocational healthcare students in China, with nursing students being our focus.•This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to develop two IPE strategies related to role interaction (role-taking and role-playing) in comparison to one conventional IPE strategy (pure group discussion) and investigate the different effectiveness in vocational healthcare students' attitudes to IPE, perception of professional roles, and interprofessional collaborative competencies by three valid scales.•The study is divided into four stages: development, feasibility testing, evaluation and final experimental verification.•This study helps provide scientific and appropriate IPE strategies for vocational healthcare educators, so as to improve the interprofessional learning and collaborative ability of vocational healthcare students.

Integrated Case Presentation Seminar: Bridging Parallel Fields to Improve Psychiatry and Psychology Learner Experience

Daily clinical practice of mental health professionals often requires interaction between providers from diverse training and professional backgrounds. Efforts to engage mental health trainees across disciplines are necessary and have had varied outcomes. The current study reviews the development and implementation of a monthly one-hour integrated case presentation seminar (ICPS) as part of independent psychology and psychiatry two-year fellowships at a Midwestern teaching hospital. The training integrated a semi-structured seminar to facilitate case presentation within a group setting. The focus of the seminar was to allow for exposure to conceptualization, diagnostic, and treatment strategies and skills, as well as science-based practice techniques for trainees. Learner survey results and the sustained offering of the seminar suggest the format and goals of the seminar are feasible and acceptable. Based on the current preliminary findings, similar training programs may find benefit in strategies to enhance integrated training opportunities for psychiatry and psychology trainees.

Effects of Interprofessional Education on Readiness for Interprofessional Learning in Rehabilitation Science Students From Professional Health Care Programs: Protocol for a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization defines interprofessional education (IPE) as a process in which students from different health care programs work together to provide effective care while deepening their knowledge of each other's roles. Previous literature shows a strong argument for early exposure to IPE as a facilitator for high quality patient care. The goal of IPE is to improve interprofessional collaboration (IPC), the "gold standard" of care to enhance patients' quality of life, functional ability, and health status, especially for patients who require expertise from a variety of health care professionals. IPC has shown improvements in quality of life, functional ability, and health status. IPE can occur in the form of structured interventions or spontaneously in student placements. Literature has demonstrated that IPE facilitates skill, knowledge development, teamwork, communication skills, and mutual respect among health care professional students.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to examine IPE outcomes, including readiness for IPC, IPE perceptions, attitudes toward collaborative learning, student confidence, practice efficiency, and team dynamics after IPE interventions in rehabilitation science students.

METHODS

The study will be conducted as outlined by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and will be reported per the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2015 guidelines. Students have performed literature searches across the databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science, and AMED. Studies will be included if their IPE intervention included multiple prelicensure health care professional students in a health care or health care education setting. Based on timelines presented in the Institute of Medicine's report on the impacts of IPE, relevant studies from 2016 to the present will be included. The Risk of Bias 2 tool will be used to study sources of bias. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) working group's methods will be used to evaluate the quality of the evidence presented. The final 3 authors are assisting as supervisors, providing oversight and feedback as needed. Any deviations from this protocol will be reported in the final paper.

RESULTS

The search strategy was finalized and searched across the databases by March 8, 2024. The systematic review was registered with PROSPERO on March 31, 2024. A total of 10,692 citations were retrieved for abstract and title screening, beginning in March 2024, and 756 were eligible for full-text screening in April 2024. Six articles were considered for inclusion and data extraction, which began in July 2024. Finalization of the extracted data and paper will occur in September 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review will provide a summary of the effects of IPE interventions in prelicensure rehabilitation science students. It will provide educators, health care providers, and students with valuable information for understanding the relevance of IPE. It will also shed light on research gaps and highlight areas for further study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42024506081; https://tinyurl.com/3tf2h9er.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/60830.

Professional identity development of Flemish occupational therapists: A narrative study

BACKGROUND

A less developed professional identity negatively influences a person's mental well-being and is suggested to potentially affect quality of care and thus clients' well-being. Literature indicates that a strong developed professional identity is to strive for. In Flanders, Belgium, cultural and legislative challenges negatively impact the professional development of occupational therapists.

AIM/OBJECTIVES

To explore the professional identity development of Flemish occupational therapists, with a focus on significant events shaped by aspects of self-efficacy.

METHOD

Five Flemish occupational therapists were interviewed twice. The semi-structured and open follow-up interviews were all conducted online. Data was analysed by using a narrative- and narrative slopes analysis.

RESULTS

Similar and unique experiences emerged: occupational therapy appeared as an unexpected career choice, clinical placements were important, getting and staying in the work field has its challenges, and continuously improving themselves. Self-efficacy fluctuated during their whole journey.

CONCLUSION

Five unique narratives, raise awareness of potentially vulnerable events in becoming an occupational therapist.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study highlights the importance of actively reflecting on how to support students, novice, and senior therapists in developing and nurturing their professional identity (e.g. continued professional development, strong supervisor relationship, interprofessional education).

Interprofessional Team Training With Virtual Reality: Acceptance, Learning Outcome, and Feasibility Evaluation Study

Background

Effective interprofessional teamwork is vital for ensuring high-quality patient care, especially in emergency medicine. However, interprofessional education often fails to facilitate meaningful interaction among health care disciplines. It is therefore imperative to afford early opportunities for cultivating interprofessional teamwork skills. While in-person simulation-based training has been shown to improve performance, this is resource-intensive, especially if it involves multiple professions. Virtual reality (VR)-based training is an innovative instructional approach that demands fewer resources and offers the flexibility of location-independent learning.

Objective

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the acceptance, learning outcome, and feasibility of an interprofessional team (INTEAM) training course that included a VR simulation of a neurological emergency case.

Methods

This 1-group study used a pre- and posttest design to evaluate the 2-hour INTEAM training course for nursing and medical students. The course included an e-learning part, VR simulation, and debriefing. The main learning objectives were derived from the entrustable professional activity 6, namely to handle a common problem in emergency medicine (headache due to subarachnoid hemorrhage and epileptic seizure) that requires interprofessional collaboration, including a structured handover. We used validated and self-constructed questionnaires, pre- and posttests, and open questions to assess the acceptance, learning outcome, and feasibility of the course.

Results

The data of 42 students (21 nursing and 21 medical students) were analyzed and showed good usability in the System Usability Scale (median 72.5, IQR 65-80). The perception of usefulness (median 6, IQR 5.8-6.9) and ease of use (median 5.9, IQR 5.1-6.3) was good among all students. There was a significant increase in the handover performance from pre- (median 8, IQR 6-9) to posttraining (median 8, IQR 7-9; z=-2.01; P=.045; r=0.33) and of the confidence in caring for patients with seizures (median 3, IQR 2-3 and median 3.5, IQR 3-4, respectively; z=-3.8; P<.001; r=0.60). In 67% (14/21) of the simulations, technical issues occurred, but all simulations could be carried out completely.

Conclusions

The new INTEAM training course was well received by nursing and medical students. The handover skills and confidence in caring for patients with seizures were improved after the course. Despite technical challenges with the VR simulations, none required termination, and this demonstrates that our approach is feasible. These promising results encourage the use of VR simulations for team training in the education of nursing and medical students.

Understanding disciplinary perspectives: a framework to develop skills for interdisciplinary research collaborations of medical experts and engineers

BACKGROUND

Health professionals need to be prepared for interdisciplinary research collaborations aimed at the development and implementation of medical technology. Expertise is highly domain-specific, and learned by being immersed in professional practice. Therefore, the approaches and results from one domain are not easily understood by experts from another domain. Interdisciplinary collaboration in medical research faces not only institutional, but also cognitive and epistemological barriers. This is one of the reasons why interdisciplinary and interprofessional research collaborations are so difficult. To explain the cognitive and epistemological barriers, we introduce the concept of disciplinary perspectives. Making explicit the disciplinary perspectives of experts participating in interdisciplinary collaborations helps to clarify the specific approach of each expert, thereby improving mutual understanding.

METHOD

We developed a framework for making disciplinary perspectives of experts participating in an interdisciplinary research collaboration explicit. The applicability of the framework has been tested in an interdisciplinary medical research project aimed at the development and implementation of diffusion MRI for the diagnosis of kidney cancer, where the framework was applied to analyse and articulate the disciplinary perspectives of the experts involved.

RESULTS

We propose a general framework, in the form of a series of questions, based on new insights from the philosophy of science into the epistemology of interdisciplinary research. We explain these philosophical underpinnings in order to clarify the cognitive and epistemological barriers of interdisciplinary research collaborations. In addition, we present a detailed example of the use of the framework in a concrete interdisciplinary research project aimed at developing a diagnostic technology. This case study demonstrates the applicability of the framework in interdisciplinary research projects.

CONCLUSION

Interdisciplinary research collaborations can be facilitated by a better understanding of how an expert's disciplinary perspectives enables and guides their specific approach to a problem. Implicit disciplinary perspectives can and should be made explicit in a systematic manner, for which we propose a framework that can be used by disciplinary experts participating in interdisciplinary research project. Furthermore, we suggest that educators can explore how the framework and philosophical underpinning can be implemented in HPE to support the development of students' interdisciplinary expertise.

Virtual Interprofessional Education: Team Collaboration in Discharge Planning Simulation

PURPOSE OF STUDY

This study assessed the effectiveness of a virtual interprofessional education (IPE) discharge planning simulation, focusing on collaborative patient education, and recommendations for hospital discharge.

PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING

An acute care hospital.

METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE

The study utilized a virtual IPE discharge planning simulation for health care students from six different programs. The simulation involved prebriefing, icebreaker, team meeting, patient interaction, and debriefing. Assessment included pre- and post-IPE surveys that included the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competency Self-Assessment Tool, and video analysis using the Modified McMaster-Ottawa Rating Scale.

RESULTS

Student participants from diverse health care programs ( n =143) included nursing ( n = 20), occupational therapy ( n = 21), physical therapy ( n = 42), physician assistant ( n = 38), respiratory therapy ( n = 3), and social work ( n = 19). All programs except respiratory therapy showed significant improvement in IPEC Competency scores post-IPE, with positive outcomes for understanding other professions' roles. Students' self-reported perceptions of team performance were rated highly in various categories. Video analysis demonstrated strong interrater reliability for team scores.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Effective hospital discharge planning is vital for cost reduction and patient care improvement. IPE emphasizes collaborative learning among health care students. Previous studies highlight positive outcomes from IPE discharge planning, including virtual formats. This virtual IPE discharge planning simulation significantly improved students' understanding and collaboration competencies, evident in increased IPEC scores across five professions.

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.

ALLin4IPE- an international research study on interprofessional health professions education: a protocol for an ethnographic multiple-case study of practice architectures in sites of students' interprofessional clinical placements across four universities

BACKGROUND

The global discourse on future health care emphasises that learning to collaborate across professions is crucial to assure patient safety and meet the changing demands of health care. The research on interprofessional education (IPE) is diverse but with gaps in curricula design and how IPE is enacted in practice.

PURPOSE AND AIMS

This research project will identify. 1) how IPE in clinical placements emerges, evolves, and is enacted by students when embedded in local health care practices, 2) factors critical for the design of IPE for students at clinical placements across the four countries.

METHODS

A study involving four countries (Sweden, Norway, Australia and New Zealand) using the theory of practice architectures will be undertaken between 2023 and 2027. The project is designed as an international, collaborative multiple-case ethnographic study, using the theoretical framework of practice architectures (TPA). It will include four ethnographic case studies of IPE, one in each country. Data will be collected in the following sequence: (1) participant observation of students during interprofessional placements, (2) interviews with students at clinical placement and stakeholders/professionals, (3) Non-clinical documents may be used to support the analysis, and collection of photos may be use as memory aids for documenting context. An analysis of "sayings, doings and relatings" will address features of the cultural- discursive, material-economic, social-political elements making up the three key dimensions of TPA. Each of the four international cases will be analysed separately. A cross case analysis will be undertaken to establish common learning and critical IPE design elements across the four collaborating universities.

DISCUSSION

The use of TPA framework and methodology in the analysis of data will make it possible to identify comparable dimensions across the four research sites, enabling core questions to be addressed critical for the design of IPE. The ethnographic field studies will generate detailed descriptions that take account of country-specific cultural and practice contexts. The study will also generate new knowledge as to how IPE can be collaboratively researched.

Development and Evaluation of Interprofessional High-Fidelity Simulation Course on Medication Therapy Consultation for German Pharmacy and Medical Students-A Randomized Controlled Study

Recently, there has been a remarkable move towards interprofessional collaboration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the care of comorbidities. In Germany, there has been a gradual increase in interprofessional learning in medical and pharmacy education, aiming to enhance patient care. To adapt the pharmacy curriculum for collaborative practice between pharmacy and medical students, we developed an immersive interprofessional collaboration course for pharmacy students using adult and pediatric high-fidelity simulators (HFS) to assess and train medication consultation skills. In a randomized controlled trial, we investigated whether interprofessional training between pharmacy and medical students results in differences in pharmacy students' performance of medication therapy consultation compared to the case of mono-professional training of pharmacy students only. Before and after inter/mono-professional training, each pharmacy student performed an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and completed a self-assessment questionnaire. Additionally, an attitude survey towards interprofessional learning was completed by pharmacy and medical students at the end of the training. As expected, interprofessional as well as mono-professional training showed a statistically significant increase in medication consultation skills. Of importance, the performance in the interprofessional training group was significantly better than in the mono-professional group, particularly in drug therapy counselling and consultation behaviors. There was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in self-assessment scores, and all study participants had positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and training. Therefore, interprofessional training using HFS has been shown to appropriately train pharmacy students for collaborative practice and consultation skills.

Educational strategies for PET-Health Interprofessionality in Southwestern Goiás state, Brazil: a qualitative approach

This study aimed to present educational interventions in the context of the Education Program through PET-Health Interprofessionality (PET-I), carried out in teaching and in healthcare service of a municipality of Goiás state, based on the analysis of focus groups and portfolios made by participants. A descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach was carried out, based on the theoretical-conceptual and methodological foundations of interprofessional education, from August 2019 to November 2020. It was observed that students perceived participation in PET-I as an opportunity to interact with other professions, to associate theory with practice and to act as leading actors. Participants believe that working together to provide the best care for patients requires a basic understanding of the different perspectives and responsibilities of professionals involved. They emphasized informal conversations, meetings, and case discussions as opportunities to understand professional's opinions and assignments, and deepen their understanding of the importance of collaborative communication.

Joint interprofessional education of pharmacy and dietetics undergraduates - a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an integrative approach that enables collaboration of students of two or more different health professions in aim to acquire skills and competencies related not only to their field of study but also to ensure the standard of care based on collaborative practice. IPE has not yet been explored in relation to collaboration between dietetics-nutrition and pharmacy students, while there is evidence that in many cases nutrition is complementary to pharmacotherapy in the treatment process.

AIM

The aim of this scoping review was to gather, describe and discuss all relevant literature regarding joint interprofessional training of pharmacy and dietetics-nutrition undergraduates.

METHODS

We performed a literature search for studies where IPE between dietetics-nutrition and pharmacy students was described. 2204 articles on this topic were identified. After eligibility assessment, 8 articles were included in the review.

RESULTS

Eight studies were included in the review. Two of these described IPE activities between dietetics and pharmacy students only. The included studies varied in setting, methodology and outcome measures and covered a wide range of topics relevant to clinical practice, such as management of inflammatory bowel diseases, care of the older adults or counselling skills. The most common teaching method was the use of case studies. Some of the included studies did not identify specific learning objectives. The most common way of gathering feedback from participants was through questionnaires and interviews.

CONCLUSIONS

IPE of pharmacy and dietetics-nutrition students is feasible and may be beneficial in many aspects related to learning. However, there is no well-established model or standard that would facilitate the implementation of such activities in individual educational institutions.

Characterization and analysis of the proposals submitted to the PET-Health Interprofessionality in Brazil: advancements and future directions

The Program of Education through Work for Health (PET-Health), with a focus on interprofessionality, is one of the actions of the Plan for the Strengthening of Interprofessional Education in Brazil. This research aimed to systematically analyze the characteristics of the proposals submitted to the public notice of the PET-Health Interprofessionality specifically in relation to the theoretical-conceptual and methodological alignment of interprofessional education (IPE). The study is a qualitative document content analysis. We analyzed one hundred and twenty projects submitted to the selection process from institutions participating in the PET-Health Interprofessionality. Content analysis followed three steps: pre-analysis, exploration of the material, and treatment and interpretation of results. Seven categories were identified: a) alignment with the theoretical-conceptual frameworks of IPE, b) curriculum changes, c) faculty development with a focus on IPE, d) articulation among objectives, actions, and results expected related to IPE, e) strategies for monitoring and evaluation, f) involvement of users/families and community, and g) development of collaborative competencies. We conclude that while some advancements have been made, there remains a need for more in-depth discussion in Brazil to ensure the development of competencies capable of assuring more integral, resolute, and safer healthcare services, with capacity to (re)signify user-centered care in the planning and delivery of healthcare.

Impacts of interprofessional education on collaborative practice of healthcare professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate and statistically synthesise data on the effects of interprofessional education on healthcare professionals' collaborative practice among healthcare professionals.

DESIGN

A systematic review and meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Seven databases and the grey literature were searched to collect relevant studies from database inception to 15 May 2023.

REVIEW METHODS

A random-effects model was used to assess the pooled effect size. Each pooled analysis was tested for publication bias using Egger's regression test.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included in the final analysis. The evaluation of pooled results showed that interprofessional education significantly enhanced attitudes towards or mutual respect among healthcare professionals (pooled standardized mean difference: 0.14; 95 % Confidence Interval: 0.01-0.28; p = 0.04) and interprofessional knowledge (pooled standardized mean difference: 0.43; 95 % Confidence Interval: 0.22-0.65; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Interprofessional education is a feasible approach to enhance attitudes towards or mutual respect among healthcare professionals as well as their interprofessional knowledge. Future research is needed to consider the inclusion of a module designed to develop mutual interests and communication to enhance students' perspectives on the importance of the interprofessional education approach.

Exploring a revised interprofessional learning curriculum in undergraduate health education programs at Linköping University

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education aiming at providing competencies require evaluation in order to ensure that outcomes match the needs and ambitions. Health professionals today need a broad range of skills and competencies in order to provide high quality care, including interprofessional competence. Linköping University has been a pioneer in interprofessional learning for decades and this study provides one example of how a curriculum revision can be carried out. The aim of this study was to study the intentions and outcomes of a revised interprofessional learning curriculum in health professions education programs.

METHODS

This was a qualitative study, including documents (n = 143) and complementary interviews with key individuals (n = 4). Data included syllabuses, study guides, educational program plans, supervisor guides, and interview transcripts. A qualitative document analysis and a content analysis with a directed approach was used, applying a theoretical framework for curriculum development that guided the analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in one overarching theme named "A planned, lived, and attended curriculum" including four main categories inspired by a theoretical framework. The findings demonstrate a variety of aspects relating to the why and how of curriculum revision. The introduction of a programme director in interprofessional learning, with a mandate equal to respective program directors, seemed to contribute to legitimacy. Further, the partnership between the university and the healthcare sector had an impact on the curriculum revision, in that healthcare had a say in the revision regarding what suggestions to implement or not. The expectations of the teachers involved were high, although clear support structures seemed to be lacking.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has identified some of the important links between teachers, organizational prerequisites, and healthcare when revising an existing fully integrated curriculum in interprofessional learning for health professions education programs. The aim of this curriculum revision was to legitimize and provide education that is up to date with current healthcare needs and to provide students with competencies to collaborate in teams to ensure patient safety. When redesigning a curriculum there seems to be a fine balance between pedagogical innovation and pragmatism. This study identified that the links provided between organizational support structures and the expectations on teachers were not aligned.

Impact of Standardized Multidisciplinary Critical Care Training on Confidence with Critical Illness and Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Education and Multidisciplinary Care

INTRODUCTION

The Fundamental Critical Care Support Course (FCCS) is a standardized multidisciplinary program designed to educate participants on the basics of identification and management of patients with critical illness. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of FCCS participation on confidence in the assessment and management of critically ill patients and attitudes towards multidisciplinary education and interprofessional care in a multidisciplinary group of participants.

METHODS

Participants enrolled in the FCCS course from May 2018 to November 2019 were solicited to participate in a series of surveys evaluating their course experience and confidence in critical care. Attitudes towards multidisciplinary education and interprofessional care were evaluated using the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised Instrument version 2 (SPICE-R2) tool. A prospective pre- and post-design with a self-report survey including retrospective pre-training assessment and a 3-month follow-up was conducted. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statics and non-parametric methods.

RESULTS

321 (97.9%) of the course participants enrolled in the study and completed the confidence survey and SPICE-R2 tool pre-course. Nurses (113, 35.4%) and physicians (110, 34.4%) made up the largest groups of participants, although physician assistants and paramedics were also well represented. Confidence in recognition and management of critical illness significantly improved across all studied domains after course completion, with the mean total confidence score improving from 32.96 pre-course to 41.10 post-course, P < 0.001. Attitudes towards multidisciplinary education and interprofessional care also improved (mean score 41.37 pre-course vs 42.71 post-course, P < 0.001), although pre-course numbers were higher than expected which limited the significance to only certain domains.

DISCUSSION

In a multidisciplinary group, completion of FCCS training led to increased confidence in all aspects of critical illness measured. A modest increase in attitudes regarding multidisciplinary education and interprofessional care was also demonstrated. Further study is needed to assess whether this increased confidence translates to improvements in patient care and outcomes.

Learning to teach with patients and caregivers: a focused ethnography

BACKGROUND

Little is known about what happens when patients and caregivers are involved in an academic setting as co-teachers and how healthcare professionals approach a new model of partnership-based teaching. This study aimed to explore the learning and behavioural patterns of a group of healthcare professionals who were learning to teach with patients and caregivers as co-teachers in a post-graduate course.

METHODS

A focused ethnographic study involving 11 health professionals was conducted. Data were collected through participatory observation during the course, individual semi-structured interviews, and a follow-up focus group. Taxonomic analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Three categories were identified: 'group', 'role of narration' and 'applying co-teaching with patients and caregivers '. Specifically, heterogeneity, absence of hierarchies, and balanced relationships characterised the group dynamic and promoted partnership. Narration played a key role both in learning and in healthcare professionals' relationship with patients and caregivers and promoted emotional skills and self-awareness. Project planning and lessons simulations were essential aspects of the implementation process.

CONCLUSIONS

This focused ethnography helped further understanding of the context of a specific project involving patients and caregivers as co-teachers in healthcare professional education. The development of emotional skills and self-awareness are the main learning patterns of co-teaching, and interprofessionalism and balanced relationships are the basis of the behavioural patterns. These patterns facilitated the involvement of patients and caregivers in health education.

The status of interprofessional education (IPE) at regional and global levels - update from 2022 global IPE situational analysis

This short report is based on the 2022 Global IPE Situational Analysis Results e-Book that is available at https://interprofessionalresearch.global/. As an up-to-date global environmental scan of interprofessional education (IPE), this cross-sectional study investigated institutional, administrative, and system-level processes that support IPE program development and implementation globally. Conducted by InterprofessionalResearch.Global (IPR.Global), the survey included 17 quantitative questions that were analyzed at global and regional levels. Three open-text questions were thematically analyzed. In total, 152 institutions from six regions worldwide contributed to this study. Results revealed that only 51.97% of all responding institutions have an established IPE program, with Canada and the USA having the highest (84%) and Africa (26%) having the lowest numbers. Globally, 37.33% of respondents reported no formal leadership positions and 41.33% reported the absence of a designated IPE Director or Coordinator. In addition, IPE funding varies considerably across the world, with 32.65% of institutions reporting no financial support. Over 48.22% of respondents indicated their institutions are rarely or not involved in IPE-related scholarly work or research. The open-text analysis revealed that supportive senior leadership, a culture of collaboration, and recognition of IPE as a strategic direction and/or priority at the institutional level, could foster the successful implementation of IPE. On the other hand, inadequate administrative support, lack of funding, poor attitudes regarding IPE, and limited dedicated time for research, seemed to impair successful implementation of scholarly activities in the field.

Twelve tips for designing, implementing and sustaining interprofessional training units on hospital wards

Dedicated Interprofessional Training Units (ITUs) in hospital wards are one way to prepare healthcare students for Interprofessional patient-centered care. Based on theoretical foundations, research, and our lived experiences of successes as well as failures, we propose 12 tips on how to prepare, implement, and sustain a dedicated ITU, combining the Grol & Wensing model for planning change with the Self-determination Theory of motivation. Start with a steering group, with a dedicated project leader, to translate awareness of the need for an ITU into wider awareness and motivation among stakeholders, with the ITU being a solution to authentic problems. Create shared ownership by jointly formulating feasible educational goals and starting with a pilot to provide opportunities for change. Motivate all stakeholders by stimulating their autonomy, interprofessional competence as well as relatedness to each other, in line with the Self-determination Theory. Confirm the value of the ITU at all stages and embed the ITU in the organizational strategy.

Use of qualitative methods to optimize collaborative practices by highlighting differences in perceptions between professionals: an example of patient education

Interprofessional working must be approached within health promotion interventions using systematic methods to identify areas of suboptimal collaboration. We designed a qualitative study with a purposive sample of seven French therapeutic patient education programs. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 14 healthcare providers and seven clinician leaders (coordinators) involved in patient education. We used the same interview guide and thematic grid regardless of the professional's profile to compare their perceptions on elements affecting outcome, participation and sustainability of programs. Healthcare providers and coordinators addressed non-convergent issues at both ends of a continuum from a micro-level nested in the program delivery to a macro-level corresponding to the structured implementation and sustainability of the program. Meso-level issues featured convergent perspectives. Our methodology could be used at the level of health services in a health system to provide a complete recovery of stakeholders' perspectives (without "blind spots" from one stakeholder or another). In our study, we focused on patient education in the French health system and pointed out possible considerations to optimize the functioning of programs. Such considerations include specific training plan development, encouraging reflection on the content and use of initial assessment, leading sessions in pairs to save on work time, and communication on the ins and outs of organizational imperatives that require healthcare providers' contributions.

Effectiveness of online interprofessional education-communication course during the COVID-19 pandemic

A developed IPE (Interprofessional Education)-communication course was first implemented at Universitas Pelita Harapan/UPH via online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of a newly developed IPE-online communication course offered to medical (MS) and nursing (NS) students. This study was a quantitative study using a pre-post design without control. The IPAS (Interprofessional Attitude Scale) assessed students' attitudes toward IPE. Satisfaction with the program was also measured following its completion. The questionnaire was administered via Survey Monkey to 535 respondents (MS = 250; NS = 285). Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were employed. Before and after the IPE program, 161 MS and 146 NS completed the IPAS questionnaire (n = 307). The attitude of MS and NS were not improved significantly (p-value >0.05). Moreover, several subscales of attitudes decreased significantly, including "Diversity and Ethics" with a low-size effect for medical students and "Teamwork, Roles, and Responsibilities" and "Patient-Centeredness" with a low-size effect for nursing students. Both students (n = 307) were also satisfied with the IPE course (Mean MS: 4.28 and NS: 4.34). This study suggests that online IPE communication course may not be effective in fostering student attitudes. The IPE communication course should be accomplished through in-person class instead of online learning. Further IPE course evaluations are required to improve the acceptability, applicability, and effectiveness of IPE in health education.

A study of the impact of an interprofessional education module in Vietnam on students' readiness and competencies

INTRODUCTION

The literature puts forward a range of challenges of interprofessional education (IPE) related to its planning, initiation, implementation, and especially to IPE assessment. The present study aims to map changes in students' readiness and interprofessional collaboration competence (IPCC) in implementing an innovative IPE module. Potential differences in impact related to the health education programs and IPCC scores resulting from self-, peer-, and tutor assessments will also be analysed.

METHODS

A pre-post design was adopted. The student's readiness for interprofessional learning was assessed using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and the student's IPCC score was calculated based on self-, peer-, and tutor assessments with the interprofessional collaborator assessment rubric.

RESULTS

Students' mean post-test readiness scores and mean post-test IPCC scores were significantly higher than the total and subscales/domain pre-test scores (p<0.01). No significant within-subject differences were observed in students' readiness total or subscale scores when comparing health educational programs. However, significant differences were observed in students' mean total IPCC scores between programs (p<0.01). Significant differences in students' average IPCC scores were found when comparing self-, peer- and tutor assessment scores in six domains (p<0.01). Also, significant correlations between peer and tutor assessment scores were observed (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

The IPE module, designed and implemented to focus on patient-centred practice within a primary care context, positively impacted students' readiness and IPCC development. These results offer insights to expand the implementation of the IPE module to all health educational programs.

Ensuring the "health" of a curricular program evaluation: Alignment and analytic quality of two instruments for use in evaluating the effectiveness of an interprofessional collaboration curriculum

To cultivate competencies in interprofessional collaboration (IPC) for patient-centered, team-based care, a multi-faceted training enhancement initiative was implemented at our academic primary care residency site. Evaluation of the activities from previously collected survey data occurred upon a 2-year review. First, the evaluation team scrutinized the instruments for alignment and appropriateness with planned IPC educational learning and behavior objectives. We found the two instruments were well supported by the literature and with appropriate evidence for validation, but were not well aligned to the objectives of this IPC training initiative, reducing appropriateness of potential inferences of the findings for this context. Second, the team assessed the analytic quality of survey results in item difficulty distribution and item fit to the requirements of a Rasch measurement model. This revealed low person separation due to high overall item agreement. Most residents agreed with most items, so the measures lacked the precision necessary to capture change in residents' IPC competency. Our instrument review serves as a reminder of the need to gather validity evidence for the use of any existing tool within a new context, and offers a generalizable strategy to evaluate data sources for appropriateness and quality within a specific program.

Interprofessional communication skills training to improve medical students' and nursing trainees' error communication - quasi-experimental pilot study

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional communication is of extraordinary importance for patient safety. To improve interprofessional communication, joint training of the different healthcare professions is required in order to achieve the goal of effective teamwork and interprofessional care. The aim of this pilot study was to develop and evaluate a joint training concept for nursing trainees and medical students in Germany to improve medication error communication.

METHODS

We used a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study with a pre-post design and two study arms. This study compares medical students (3rd year) and nursing trainees (2nd year) who received an interprofessional communication skills training with simulation persons (intervention group, IG) with a control group (CG). Both cohorts completed identical pre- and post-training surveys using the German Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (G-IPAS) and a self-developed interprofessional error communication scale. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney-U-test and Wilcoxon-test were performed to explore changes in interprofessional error communication.

RESULTS

A total of 154 were medical students, and 67 were nursing trainees (IG: 66 medical students, 28 nursing trainees / CG: 88 medical students, 39 nursing trainees). After training, there were significant improvements observed in the "interprofessional error communication" scale (p < .001) and the "teamwork, roles, and responsibilities" subscale (p = .012). Median scores of the subscale "patient-centeredness" were similar in both groups and remained unchanged after training (median = 4.0 in IG and CG).

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies are needed to find out whether the training sustainably improves interprofessional teamwork regarding error communication in acute care.

The value of learning virtual interprofessional collaboration during a pandemic and the future "new normal": health professions students share their experiences

This exploratory study looked at the experiences of social work, occupational therapy, and nursing students who participated in an interprofessional simulation that was offered virtually due to the impact of COVID-19. The simulation was a one-day event that introduced advanced care planning to the students through an IPE team approach and incorporated various learning and teaching modalities. Using conventional content analysis of the post-program survey data from 255 students (35 occupational therapy; 87 social work; and 133 nursing), three primary themes were identified for the value of learning virtual interprofessional collaboration during a pandemic: (1) catalyst for telehealth education; (2) patient, family & professional safety; and (3) connection and continuity of care. In addition, students identified four primary themes that were learned and perceptions of what could lie ahead beyond the simulation: (1) patient & family convenience and inclusion; (2) expand interprofessional team involvement; (3) alleviate disparities/increase access; and (4) the "new normal" of virtual IP Collaboration.

Effectiveness of interprofessional education for medical and nursing professionals and students on interprofessional educational outcomes: A systematic review

AIM AND BACKGROUND

Patient safety is a global health priority as unsafe care is a principal cause of death and disability. Ineffective interprofessional communication and collaboration among nursing and medical professionals and students contribute to unsafe practices. Interprofessional education provides opportunities to strengthen nurse-physician collaboration and enhance patient care. However, there is inconclusive evidence regarding interprofessional education effectiveness. This review aims to systematically evaluate interprofessional education effectiveness for nursing and medical professionals and students on interprofessional educational outcomes (interprofessional attitudes, perceptions, skills, knowledge, behaviours, and organisational and patient outcomes).

DESIGN AND METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo, Web of Science were last searched on 13 January 2022. This review included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental and mixed-method studies in English examining interprofessional education outcomes among nursing and medical professionals and students. Two reviewers independently appraised studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools and extracted data using a modified Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction form. Narrative synthesis was conducted instead of meta-analysis since majority of the included studies had quasi-experimental design, and various interventions and outcomes. Certainty of evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations tool.

RESULTS

This review included 15 studies involving 1185 participants. Improvements were reported in each interprofessional educational outcome after interprofessional education. High-fidelity simulation with multiple scenarios, standardised communication tools, didactic and active learning methods, theoretical frameworks, debriefing sessions and provider training enhanced interprofessional education effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

Effectiveness of interprofessional education for nursing and medical professionals and students was demonstrated since improvements were observed for each interprofessional educational outcome. This systematic review addressed literature gaps, demonstrated effectiveness of interprofessional education in clinical practice and academic curricula and provided evidence-based insights that future research can consider to enhance global patient safety standards for optimal patient outcomes and quality of healthcare. Caution is advised in interpreting findings due to 'very low' evidence certainty and limited studies. More high-quality randomised controlled trials with longitudinal designs are needed.