Health Science Students’ Readiness for Interprofessional Education and Affecting Factors

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine health sciences students’ readiness for interprofessional education and affecting factors. Material and Methods: The design of this study is descriptive and comparative. The study sample consisted of 561 students from 11 departments [Nutrition and Dietetics, Child Development, Speech and Language Therapy, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Nursing, Audiology, and Medicine (Turkish/English)] of a public university in Ankara. The data were collected with the Socio-demographic Questionnaire and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale. Numbers, percentage, mean, median, t-test, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for data analyses. Results: The students had a median (min.-max.) Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale score of 73.0 (30-95). Students’ readiness for interprofessional education significantly differed by department (p<0.01), mother's education level (p<0.01), willingness to take classes with students from other departments (p<0.01), and previous hospitalization (p=0.04). Conclusion: Health science students’ readiness for interprofessional education was high. The readiness of students was affected by departments and some socio-demographic characteristics of students. Further qualitative and mixed-method research should be conducted to provide more in-depth insight into the reasons for these effects.