Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on implementing IPE in the community: students' perceptions

Abstract

Background: Inter-professional Education (IPE) has been implemented widely in the community, especially in developing countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, IPE implementation shifted by necessity to online learning. Therefore, we must evaluate the implementation with students as resource persons. Methods: The design of this study was observational with a cross-sectional approach. Study subjects were third-year students in medicine, nursing, and nutrition who completed IPE implementation using online methods by using the students' families as community representatives. An Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) questionnaire measured the students' perceptions. In addition, we added open-ended questions to identify students' perceptions of the programme. Results: Three hundred twenty-one (321) out of 470 students returned the questionnaire (68.3% response rate). Most students agreed that the learning objectives of IPE could be attained, and there was no significant difference in those perceptions according to sex, GPA, and study programme. The answer to open-ended questions revealed that the online IPE programme still has usefulness in practising teamwork, communication, and understanding the professional's role. However, several obstacles were identified, such as signalling trouble, limitations on discussion, and the variation of interventions. Conclusions: Despite the limitation of the online IPE programme with community representatives, it is still relevant and positively perceived by the students with minimal obstacles.