Placing people in the same room is not enough: An interprofessional education intervention to improve collaborative knowledge of people with disabilities

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.

Towards Continuing Interprofessional Education: Interaction patterns of health professionals in a resource-limited setting

There are challenges related to collaboration among health professionals in resource-limited settings. Continuing Interprofessional Education initiatives grounded on workplace dynamics, structure and the prevailing attitudes and biases of targeted health professionals may be a vehicle to develop collaboration among health professionals. Workplace dynamics are revealed as health professionals interact. We argue that insights into the interaction patterns of health professionals in the workplace could provide guidance for improving the design and value of CIPE initiative. The study was conducted through rapid ethnography and data were collected from non-participant observations. The data were transcribed and analysed through an inductive iterative process. Appropriate ethical principles were applied throughout the study. Three themes emerged namely "Formed professional identities influencing interprofessional interaction", "Diversity in communication networks and approaches" and "Professional practice and care in resource limited contexts". This study revealed poor interaction patterns among health professionals within the workplace. These poor interaction patterns were catalyzed by the pervasive professional hierarchy, the protracted health professional shortages, limited understanding of professional roles and the lack of a common language of communication among the health professionals. Several recommendations were made regarding the design and development of Continuing Interprofessional Education initiatives for resource-limited settings.

Rural disability workforce perspective on effective inter-disciplinary training-A qualitative pilot study

OBJECTIVE

Inter-professional education is a growing area of importance that enables training of health care professionals and students to develop skills in collaborative clinical practice, a critical aspect of disability care. However, research is limited on appropriate on-site inter-professional training for the rural and remote disability workforce. This paper aims to explore the features of an effective inter-professional training approach for rural disability workforce.

SETTING

Riverland, South Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Clinical educators, allied health professionals, health and service providers and students.

DESIGN

A qualitative-explorative research design, involving focus group discussion and a thematic analysis method were employed in this study. Participants of the focus group discussion completed a capacity building training program centred on inter-professional education, cultural-safety and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. National Disability Services Social Impact Measurement Tool was used to evaluate and explore the features of effective inter-professional training program for existing and emerging disability workforce in rural regions.

RESULTS

Four themes emerged from data analysis: inter-professional education focus; structured inter-professional training; building collaborative learning environment; and culturally appropriate care practice. Inter-professional supervision was identified as a key enabler for capacity building in an area with limited health workforce. Inter-agency collaboration and professional network were identified as important elements to support disability health workforce retention and the transition from novice to practitioner. Prior knowledge about the needs of persons with disability and empathetic relationships influenced the quality of practice.

CONCLUSION

In situ training programs, which provide real-life rural practice context and harness inter-agency collaboration, improve effectiveness of rural disability workforce readiness for practice.