Impact of interprofessional education on the teaching and learning of higher education students: A systematic review

Interprofessional education in undergraduate courses in health in Brazil: integrative review

This integrative review aimed to synthesize the evidence regarding interprofessional education (IPE) in undergraduate health courses in Brazil. This article included original articles published between 2005 and 2020 addressing IPE in undergraduate health courses in Brazilian higher education institutions. Our search captured 333 articles in Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase (Elsevier), Web Of Science (Main Collection), Scopus (Elsevier), Science Direct (Elsevier), ERIC, and LILACS via BVS. After applying the exclusion and inclusion criteria, the study corpus covered 34 original manuscripts. It was identified that a network is developed at the national level, and with international support, supports discussions and research on IPE. However, there is a concentration of partnerships between researchers from the Northeast, Southeast and South regions, with the need to expand studies on the country's experiences in the North and Midwest regions. There is also consistent publication of experiences concerning the implementation of IPE in undergraduate healthcare courses in Brazil. However, the uniprofessional characteristics and the lack of uniformity in the curricula are still significant, which represent essential obstacles to further IPE strengthening in Brazil. In the Brazilian literature, there is a dearth of longitudinal studies and mixed methods that assess changes in organizational practices. There remains a need for IPE studies with more rigorous designs to generate more impactful evidence.

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.

Comparing quantitative outcomes of synchronous online versus in-person interprofessional symposium

Healthcare and educational practices changed due to COVID-19. Interprofessional education (IPE) events during the pandemic were canceled or presented through online platforms. Fortunately, IPE using online platforms had been growing during the decade prior to the pandemic. However, few publications document quantitative outcomes of online IPE, and most report qualitative outcomes of student reactions. The purpose of this study was to determine if student outcomes from an online IPE symposium were similar to the positive outcomes from prior in-person IPE symposia. A Community of Inquiry (CoI) model within a synchronous Zoom platform was developed with intentional design supporting cognitive, instructional, and social presence; interprofessional socialisation; and collaboration. Utilising a standardised instrument, student attitudes about healthcare teams were assessed comparing pretest and posttest. Students who participated in the online IPE displayed similar improvements in attitudes towards interprofessional teams at posttest. Hence, this study supports the use of a brief, synchronous, online IPE symposium.

Perceptions of interprofessional education among Malaysian clinical healthcare students

INTRODUCTION

Interprofessional education (IPE), which is aimed at improving the quality of patient care and overall health outcome, has been advocated to prepare future healthcare professionals for collaborative practice OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of IPE among clinical healthcare students at a Malaysian institution METHODS: A validated questionnaire, developed from previous studies, was distributed online to selected final year students of 10 clinical programs from medical, dental, pharmacy and health sciences faculties (n = 501). Quantitative data was analyzed via chi-square test (significance value p < .05) using social sciences software (SPSS).

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 76.4% (n = 383). About 63.2% of respondents reported having experienced IPE. This experience took place in lectures (32.1%) and online courses/webinars (36.2%). The majority of respondents provided positive feedback on various aspects of IPE. There was an insignificant difference among respondents across all programs in terms of their perception of its importance and effectiveness as well as their own preference for multidisciplinary lectures as a mode to conduct IPE. Most students agreed that challenges in conducting IPE include time constraints (83%), communication difficulties (70.8%), and lack of skills (57.4%), with no significant difference across programs. Students opined that IPE was beneficial in providing exposure to other disciplines, encouraging peer interactions, developing new skills, and improving overall learning experience. However, some reported challenges in integrating with other students, while others cited compromised experience due to problems with crowd control CONCLUSION: Students' support for IPE has positive implications for future implementation and highlights areas for improvement and further development.

Interprofessional education in problem-based learning: A frontier form of PBL in medical education

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education (IPE) aims to educate healthcare students to improve collaboration and the quality of care. The delivery of IPE through a problem-based learning (PBL) setting appears to hold good validity. However, there are few studies that show the value of combining these two teaching modes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The research was a longitudinal intervention study. A total of 360 students were randomly divided into three interprofessional PBL (IPBL) groups that mixed nursing, pharmacy, and clinical medical students and three uniprofessional PBL (UPBL) groups that consisted of a single profession. An improved Attitude and Learning Ability Questionnaire (ALAQ) was used to measure the improvement in attitudes toward interprofessional cooperation and learning outcomes. The tutorial session and final examination grades were compared between IPBL and UPBL by Chi-square tests and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. Cronbach's α analysis was calculated to assess the validity and reliability. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.887, demonstrating high levels of reliability (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.842 0.916).

RESULTS

According to Chi-square tests and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests, we observed the student's positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and the student's role awareness in the IPBL students was increased compared with UPBL students. In addition, a great majority of IPBL students felt that they had improved their self-learning ability and maintained a high enthusiasm for learning during the course.

CONCLUSION

Our study found that the IPBL teaching model was more effective than the UPBL teaching model in healthcare student's positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and learning outcomes.

Potentialities and limitations of Interprofessional Education during graduation: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

BACKGROUND

Rapid demographic, epidemiological, technological, cultural/behavioural, and educational transitions, as they become more complex, demand new integrated and complementary professional skills and abilities. Interprofessional Education (IPE) is a promising alternative to deal with these changes, especially in courses in the health area. This systematic review was to explore the potentialities and limitations of IPE, from the perspective of undergraduate students, through a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

METHODS

A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies was conducted. The question elaborated for this review was: "What is the impact of interprofessional education on the teaching and learning of students in the health area inserted in Higher Education Institutions?". The search strategy was performed in the electronic databases PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Cochrane Library, and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). In addition, searches were carried out in grey literature on the ERIC platforms, ProQuest Disserts and Theses, and Academic Google. The assessment of the quality of the studies was carried out using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. Data were summarized through thematic synthesis. From the databases, 8,793 studies were identified. After standardized filters procedures, critical summaries, and assessment of relevance to the eligibility criteria, 14 articles were included.

RESULTS

The synthesis of the studies revealed the potential of this teaching approach, arranged in three analytical themes: learning from each other and about them; the value of education and interprofessional practice; patient-centred health care. On the other hand, some limitations were also identified, such as barriers related to EIP; the difficulties related to teaching methodologies.

CONCLUSION

Overcoming the identified limitations can enhance the results of the IPE, in view of its impact on the education of students and on the health care of the population.

Nurses' perspective on team learning in interprofessional teams

AIM

The aim of this study is to find out what learning activities in interprofessional teams and what influencing factors for team learning activities in interprofessional teams can be described by nurses working in interprofessional teams.

DESIGN

We conducted a descriptive interview study.

METHODS

We used a semi-structured interview guideline and interviewed 10 nurses (N = 10) working in interprofessional teams. We analyzed our data using a qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Nurses describe team learning activities of knowledge sharing, team reflection, and storing and retrieving. Furthermore, our results show that team stability is important for interprofessional teams.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Our results can be helpful for hospitals to improve organizational structures that help interprofessional teams to work together. Furthermore, vocational education and training for nurses should offer possibilities for nursing students to learn together with students of other fields.

["That One Can See How it is Supposed to be." Conception, Piloting and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Rehabilitation-Related Module for the Training Courses in Medicine, Nursing, and Physiotherapy]

BACKGROUND

Considering the growing rehabilitative care requirements, good interprofessional cooperation is of central relevance for health care professions and is increasingly demanded. Interprofessional cooperation does not yet play a significant role in health professions' education, despite the fact that it is considered an important element of success in outcome- and patient-centered health care. The field of rehabilitation lacks interprofessional teaching concepts and material.

METHODS

An interprofessional team of instructors developed the didactic and thematic concept for the module. The module focuses on rehabilitation and discharge management. The learning objectives were developed based on the National Competency-Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Medicine. The formative evaluation was based on a questionnaire filled out by the students and the learning guides.

RESULTS

47 participants took part in three runs. The results of the formative evaluation demonstrate that the module was overall well received. The trainees rated the module more favorably than the medical students. While participants emphasized the good practical eye-to-eye interaction between the professions and the honest feedback conversation, they also pointed to the contrast they perceived to their everyday practice. They also wished for more time having verbal interprofessional exchange. The medical students criticized that interprofessional modules were only offered in their final year.

CONCLUSION

To the author's knowledge, this is the first publication of an interprofessional module on rehabilitation and discharge management including piloting and positive evaluation for the three professional groups of medicine, nursing and physical therapy. Improvement suggestions of the participants led to modifications that will be realized in the next version of the module. The course sets important impulses for the further development of interprofessional cooperation and the teaching of rehabilitation-related skills. The modular package is available to other lecturers in a free online platform for rehabilitation-related teaching materials.

Teaching staff in interprofessional education: A proposed terminology

Different terms (e.g., interprofessional, multiprofessional, interdisciplinary) are used in interprofessional education and collaboration without sufficient differentiation or precision in regard to meaning. In recent years academic publications in English and German have contributed to clarifying this issue. However, there are no definitions internationally or in the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) specifically referring to the people engaged in teaching interprofessional education. Teaching in interprofessional education has evolved from the traditional role of expert to one of mentor or facilitator. It is also evident that those who teach play a central role in the success of interprofessional courses. While many different designations are used to refer to interprofessional teachers in the relevant literature and in the language of daily use, a uniform and adequate terminology should be used to refer to such teaching staff. Based on literature reviews, this commentary seeks to propose terms for teaching staff active in the area of interprofessional education and thus provide a basis for discussion in the German-speaking countries. Taking the results of the literature analysis and the roles of teachers in interprofessional settings into consideration, we propose that the English term "IP facilitator" (IP for interprofessional) should also be used in the German-speaking world and "facilitateur IP" in the French-speaking world. A French translation is included in attachment 1 to enable broader discussion in Switzerland.

Development and Psychometric Testing of a Taiwanese Team Interactions and Team Creativity Instrument (TITC-T) for Nursing Students

Background: How well team members work together can be affected by team interactions and creativity. There is no single instrument for measuring both variables in healthcare education settings in Taiwan. The purpose of this study is to develop an instrument to measure team interactions and team creativity for Taiwanese nursing students. Methods: A 34-item team interactions and team creativity self-report instrument was developed for nursing students in Taiwan (TITC-T). Items consisted of statements about how a participant perceived their team members’ constructive controversy, helping behaviors, communication, and creativity. Nursing students (n = 275) were recruited from two campuses of a science and technology university to examine the psychometric properties of the TITC-T. The reliability and psychometric properties were evaluated. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.98. The confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a one-dimensional factor structure that fit well with the model (Comparative Fit Index = 0.995, Tucker Lewis Index = 0.908, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.098). Conclusions: The TITC-T is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating team interactions and team creativity for students enrolled in nursing programs in Taiwan.

Dementia-related continuing education for rural interprofessional primary health care in Saskatchewan, Canada: perceptions and needs of webinar participants

Dementia-related continuing education opportunities are important for rural primary health care (PHC) professionals given scarce specialized resources. This report explores the initial perceptions and continuing education needs of rural interprofessional memory clinic team members and other PHC professionals related to a short series of dementia-related education webinars. Three webinars on separate topics were delivered over an 8-month period in 2020 in Saskatchewan, Canada. The research design involved analysis of webinar comments and post-webinar survey data. Sixty-eight individuals participated in at least one webinar, and 46 surveys were completed. Rural memory clinic team members accounted for a minority of webinar participants and a majority of survey respondents. Initial perceptions were positive, with webinar topics and interactivity identified as the most effective aspects. Continuing education needs were mainly aligned with professional roles; however, some overlap of interests occurred. Future webinars will further explore learning needs within an interprofessional environment.