Short and medium-term effects of different teaching strategies for interprofessional education in health professional students: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundInterprofessional education (IPE) is recognized as important for teaching in healthcare. However, few studies comparing active versus traditional strategies for this teaching approach have been conducted. ObjectivesThis study aims to compare the use of different educational strategies (i.e. active learning versus formal lectures) for teaching interprofessional geriatric competencies in health professional students from different healthcare courses. DesignRandomized controlled trial. SettingsPublic university. ParticipantsHealth professional students (nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, nutrition and psychology courses). MethodsDifferent theoretical educational strategies (active learning in intervention group versus formal lectures in control group) were associated with case-based group discussions. The RIPLS (Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale), IEPS (Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale) and TSS (Team Skills Scale) instruments were applied at 3 timepoints: on first day of class, on last day of class and at 6 months post-intervention. ResultsOf 151 eligible students, 99 concluded all stages of the study and were subsequently included in the analysis. A significant increase in scores on the RIPLS, IEPS and TSS was measured on the last day of class and this performance gain persisted after 6 months for both strategies. However, no significant performance difference between the two strategies was found. Similarly, although student satisfaction was very good, no difference in ratings between the strategies was evident. ConclusionsThe results of this project, besides developing and fostering important discussion on IPE, can add to the literature and aid researchers in IPE by furthering knowledge on how different teaching strategies can impact future health professionals.