Abstract
BackgroundInterprofessional Education (IPE) is now spreading worldwide and many universities are now including IPE in their curricula. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not such student characteristics as gender, previous working experience in healthcare, educational progress and features of the learning environment, such as educational programmes and curriculum design, have an impact on their open-mindedness about co-operation with other professions.MethodsMedical and nursing students at two Swedish universities were invited to fill in the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Totally, 955 students were invited and 70.2% (n = 670) participated in the study. A factor analysis of the RIPLS revealed four item groupings (factors) for our empirical data, but only one had sufficient internal consistency. This factor was labelled "Team Player".ResultsRegardless of the educational programme, female students were more positive to teamwork than male students. Nursing students in general displayed more positive beliefs about teamwork and collaboration than medical students. Exposure to different interprofessional curricula and previous exposure to interprofessional education were only to a minor extent associated with a positive attitude towards teamwork. Educational progress did not seem to influence these beliefs.ConclusionsThe establishment of interprofessional teamwork is a major challenge for modern healthcare. This study indicates some directions for more successful interprofessional education. Efforts should be directed at informing particularly male medical students about the need for teamwork in modern healthcare systems. The results also imply that study of other factors, such as the student's personality, is needed for fully understanding readiness for teamwork and interprofessional collaboration in healthcare. We also believe that the RIPL Scale still can be further adjusted.
Highlights
Interprofessional Education (IPE) is spreading worldwide and many universities are including IPE in their curricula
A recent study reported that students who had been exposed to Interprofessional Education (IPE) curricula were more confident at qualification about their communicative skills, their interprofessional relationships
The aim of this study was to investigate whether student characteristics such as gender, previous working experience in healthcare, educational progress and such features of the learning environment as educational programmes and curriculum design have an impact on the students’ readiness for interprofessional learning and how open-minded they are about co-operation with other professions
Summary
Interprofessional Education (IPE) is spreading worldwide and many universities are including IPE in their curricula. The nurse-doctor relationship is complicated in a traditional hierarchical healthcare system comprising professional groups who often have stereotypical perceptions of each other [4]. Female nurses tend to approach female doctors on a more egalitarian basis, while being more hostile towards them. These findings suggest an imbalance based on both gender and traditional hierarchical structures in healthcare systems [6]. Female medical students, both those who have been exposed to IPE curricula and those who have not, have been reported to be generally more positive to collaboration between nurses and doctors [3]. Earlier experiences of higher education and age (older students) had a negative influence on attitudes to IPE [2]; while earlier experiences of working in healthcare had no impact on attitudes towards collaboration between nurses and doctors [3]
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