Students\u2019 readiness for and perception of Interprofessional learning: a cross-sectional study

Arwa Alruwaili,Noora Mumenah,Fatmah Othman,Nesrin Alharthy

doi:10.1186/s12909-020-02325-9

Abstract

BackgroundSeveral studies reported that Inter-professional Education (IPE) plays a major role in creating an effective collaborating environment in healthcare settings to achieve high-quality patient care. This study measured the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS) students’ readiness for and perceptions of IPE.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 232 undergraduate students in Riyadh, using a stratified random sampling method. All the undergraduate students of CAMS were included. Two previously validated questionnaires, the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) were used in the study.ResultsThe mean score for the RIPLS was 86.8. The Tukey post-hoc test score was significantly higher comparing the Occupational Therapy and the Respiratory Therapy programs. There was no difference between the overall RIPLS and subscales between male and female students as well as senior and junior students. For the IEPS, the mean score was 77.7. The Tukey post-hoc test score was significantly higher in the Occupational Therapy and Respiratory Therapy programs.ConclusionThe current study indicated that the Applied Medical Sciences’ students demonstrated readiness for IPE as an important element in creating collaborative teamwork in their programs. The early incorporation of IPE in the pre-professional years will enhance collaboration in management and patient care.

Highlights

Several studies reported that Inter-professional Education (IPE) plays a major role in creating an effective collaborating environment in healthcare settings to achieve high-quality patient care
The mean score for each statement in the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) is presented in Supplement Table 1
The current study found that the College of Applied Medical Sciences’ students demonstrated readiness for IPE as an important element in creating collaborative teamwork in their programs

Summary

Introduction

Several studies reported that Inter-professional Education (IPE) plays a major role in creating an effective collaborating environment in healthcare settings to achieve high-quality patient care. Interprofessional Education (IPE) is a concept focusing on the development of good communication and a teamwork environment for all healthcare providers to achieve high-quality patient care [1, 2]. Current literature provide positive evidence of improvement in the professional identity and attitudes of undergraduate students to teamwork after embedding IPE in their curriculum [2, 4]. Literature indicates that students from Medical, Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Pharmacy have a positive attitude to working collaboratively [5,6,7,8,9]. The Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS), and the Interprofessional Attitudes Questionnaire, and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), are the two instruments most frequently used [10, 11]

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Discussion

Conclusion