Interprofessional Education Program Research Articles

What characterize high and low achieving teams in Interprofessional education: A self-determination theory perspective

ObjectivesCalls to promote team-based interprofessional collaborative practice in managing patients with complex health problems are ubiquitous. However, the literature remains silent on what characterises successful teams in interprofessional education (IPE) and on profiling successful teams. To help conceptualise successful teams, this study investigated the differences in attitudes and achievement between high- and low-performing teams in an online asynchronous and synchronous IPE programme, and the role of autonomous motivation in determining team membership. MethodsUsing extreme case sampling involving health and social care students, we identified ten high-performing teams and seven low-performing teams based on their team composite scores on three interprofessional collaborative outcomes: team effectiveness, goal achievement, and scores on the readiness assurance test. Each team had five to seven members of diverse backgrounds. Independent t-tests were performed to identify differences in interprofessional collaborative outcomes, namely teamwork and collaboration, patient-centredness, diversity and ethics, community-centeredness, and interprofessional biases for the affective domain and application exercise for the cognitive domain. We employed logistic regression in which autonomous motivation was used to predict group membership. ResultsHigh-performing teams were characterised as those whose members endorsed or valued “teamwork and collaboration” in IPE simulations. Compared with the low-performing groups, they better recognised and endorsed diversity and ethics, patient-centeredness, and community-centeredness. Membership to high- and low-performing teams was linked to autonomous motivation. ConclusionsHigh-performing teams have higher favourable valuing of important interprofessional collaborative competencies, and membership to which is predicted by autonomous motivation. The results suggest the need to pay special attention to struggling teams to facilitate desirable collaborative competencies, especially in terms of members' motivation. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.

Organizational structure and resources of IPE programs in the United States: A national survey

Interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives are growing due to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's core competencies being incorporated into health professions educations programs' accreditation criteria. This investigation examined organizational models and structures of US IPE programs using mixed methodology of quantitative survey and qualitative analysis. Responses (61% response rate from the 131 institutions surveyed) were examined to identify relationships between IPE program organizational factors. Despite marked heterogeneity in most aspects of IPE program infrastructure including administrative structure, financing, and role of the academic health center (AHC), several key relationships emerged. A centralized administrative structure was most common and was associated with dedicated resources. The majority of programs were in AHCs and this was associated with financial structure, annual budget size, program maturity, number of students participating, and references to IPE in promotion and tenure guidelines. IPE learning experiences occurred predominantly in academic settings, identifying a critical need for development of clinical IPE learning experiences. Clinical IPE learning experiences were generally not in mainstream healthcare delivery systems but filled gaps or complemented healthcare efforts for underserved populations. Qualitative analysis results supported the survey results. Continued research in IPE organizational structures is needed to determine external and internal drivers associated with program success and continued trends in the IPE field.

A multimodal interprofessional education program including case-based problem solving focused on pain management increases student’s knowledge and interprofessional skills

ABSTRACT Interprofessional education (IPE) activities are recommended to reflect current and future practice. The opioid epidemic is one of the most significant current health challenges; recently declared a United States public health crisis. Thus, an IPE program centered on interprofessional roles in pain management during the opioid crisis was developed at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Professional students from pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, and nurse anesthesia programs were included. The program included a lecture about each profession, small group case-based problem-solving sessions (group activity), and a panel discussion led by representative pain management experts from each profession. We conducted a retrospective review of data from 251 professional students attending the IPE program, and assessed students’ knowledge of each profession and their respective roles in pain management. We evaluated interprofessional skills using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey and gathered qualitative student feedback. Participants gained knowledge about other professions. Each represented profession had improvements in five constructs related to interprofessional skills. Students found the most value from the group activity, which encouraged interaction among professions. Overall, the program design was effective in enhancing student knowledge and attitudes regarding collaborative interprofessional team skills.

Modeling the effect of social interdependence in interprofessional collaborative learning

ABSTRACT Interprofessional education (IPE) often uses collaborative learning for better teamwork among multiple professions. Its theoretical background is social interdependence theory (SIT), and positive interdependence is key for successful collaborative learning. As there is little theoretical knowledge on how to optimize the social interdependence in IPE, educators often struggle to develop an effective program. Therefore, a more specific explanation of the relationship between social interdependence and interprofessional readiness might make IPE more effective. We aimed to elucidate how students’ social interdependence in collaborative learning relates to interprofessional readiness. Health profession students (n = 259) undertaking a collaborative IPE program were asked to complete two validated questionnaires: Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale and Social Interdependence Scale in Collaborative Learning. A structural equation analysis provided a good fit for the data. Awareness of objectives positively predicted interprofessional collaboration and identity, whereas specific roles as health professionals negatively predicted interprofessional roles and identity. As the current healthcare system is highly specialized, there is a dilemma that the more specific a problem is, the clearer it is which profession is responsible for solving it. Hence, strengthening awareness collaboratively may overcome the dilemma. Also, it is necessary to reconstruct a curriculum based on the premise of interprofessional activities.

Template Analysis of a Longitudinal Interprofessional Survey: Making Sense of Free-Text Comments Collected Over Time

Surveys are widely used in interprofessional education (IPE) research and these often collect free-text data. The potential contribution of free-text data to analysis and interpretation is often missed through separate reporting of qualitative and quantitative results, or free-text analyses being superficial or limited to subsets of data. There is little published guidance on how to maximize the use and integration of free-text comments with quantitative responses in large datasets collected over multiple years. Analysis of all qualitative comments, within the context of their related quantitative answers, enables exploration of changes in participants’ construction of meaning over time. This article describes how we used template analysis to analyze 3,626 free-text responses, collected as part of a five-year survey exploring the impact of an IPE program on health professionals’ attitudes to teamwork and early careers. We outline the main procedural steps undertaken by a team of researchers and we share our insights into the methodological challenges encountered. This article aims to inspire other researchers at the planning stage of research proposals, and assist them with practical ideas during data extraction, management, analysis, and reporting of large free-text datasets. We conclude that template analysis has methodologically sound, pragmatic utility in IPE longitudinal survey research

Translation of an evidence-based virtual reality simulation-based interprofessional education into health education curriculums: An implementation science method

BackgroundThe development of interprofessional competencies through an evidence-based program is paramount to nurture a collaborative practice-ready workforce for patient-centered care and safety. AimsTo describe an implementation science approach for translation of an evidence-based virtual reality simulation-based interprofessional education (VR-Sim-IPE) program into medical and nursing curriculums, and to evaluate the implementation outcomes. MethodsImplementation strategies from the “Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change” were used to support implementation of the VR-Sim-IPE program. This included recruiting and training 28 practicing clinicians as facilitators to deliver the program to 599 medical and nursing students. Proctor's conceptual framework for implementation outcomes was applied with multiple data collection methods to evaluate the VR-Sim-IPE program. An online survey was administered to measure the levels of acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and adoption. Forty-four sessions of structured observations were carried out to examine the facilitators' implementation fidelity. Individual interviews were conducted with 15 facilitators to identify the facilitators and barriers to the program implementation. An implementation cost analysis was also conducted. ResultsBoth facilitators and students had positive perceptions of the acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, and feasibility of the VR-Sim-IPE program. Facilitators were observed to implement the program with high fidelity, including program adherence, dosage, quality of delivery, and student responsiveness. While opportunities to contribute and learn, as well as receiving training and support, were identified as facilitators to implementation, the lack of familiarity with the virtual environment, varying levels of student participation, and facilitating interprofessional groups were reported barriers. The implementation costs amounted to USD45,648.50. ConclusionThe evaluation of implementation outcomes identifies strategies for future implementation that could potentially enhance program acceptance, reduce implementation cost, improve penetration, and achieve program sustainability. These include increasing facilitation group size, preparing students to be active participants, and incorporating interprofessional facilitation skills in facilitators' training.

Undergraduate-level teaching and learning approaches for interprofessional education in the health professions: a systematic review

BackgroundAlthough most systematic reviews of interprofessional education (IPE) evaluated the impact of IPE on the students’ acquisition of knowledge in relation to other professions, the development of teamwork skills, and the changes in collaborative behaviour, the processes involved in IPE (i.e., approaches to teaching and learning) are under-researched. The purpose of the study was to conduct a systematic review to establish how IPE has been implemented in university-based undergraduate curricula, focusing on the teaching and learning approaches.MethodsThe systematic review was performed in 2020 with three databases: PubMed, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library. Titles and abstracts were included based on pre-identified eligibility criteria. We used the article entitled ‘Systematic reviews in medical education: a practical approach: AMEE guide 94’ as the basis to establish the aim and methods of the current systematic review from 2010 to 2019.ResultsWe found 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria and reported the implementation process of IPE in universities from Western, Asian, and African countries. A combination of at least two teaching and learning approaches was used to deliver IPE. The findings indicated that of all the teaching and learning approaches, simulation-based education, e-learning, and problem-based learning were the most prevalent approaches used to deliver IPE. This systematic review also revealed a lack of IPE programmes in the Middle East region.ConclusionsThe evidence synthesised in the current systematic review could support IPE curriculum planners and educators when planning an IPE programme. More global IPE initiatives are required to meet the global health workforce needs. Further studies are required to identify the effectiveness of the different teaching and learning approaches in the development of IPE competencies.

Adaptation and validation of the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) in Spanish university health sciences students

ABSTRACT Many interprofessional education programs are being designed to help students improve their collaborative practice. Traditionally, the evaluation of these programs is focused on attitudes, knowledge and skills, but according to some authors, the evaluation of these activities should be expanded to include the evaluation of the development of an interprofessional identity. The Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) is a self-report tool used to measure interprofessional socialization, but it has not been validated with Spanish students. In this study, the tool was translated into Spanish and administered to a sample of 645 undergraduate students. The data were analyzed to estimate structural validity, internal consistency and convergent validity. Regarding the structural validity, our data supported the unidimensional model found in the English version of the ISVS-21 (normed chi-square = 2.3, RMSEA = 0.045, SRMR = 0.087, CFI = 0.963 and TLI = 0.969). The internal consistency reliability of the scale was adequate, Cronbach α = 0.913 [95% CI 0.903, 0.923]. The Spanish version of the ISVS-21 shows adequate psychometric properties in terms of the construct validity (structural validity and convergent validity) and internal consistency of its scores. This study provides the Spanish-speaking population with an adaptation of the only instrument that has been specifically developed to assess interprofessional socialization.

Impact of an Interprofessional Health Student Education Program on Older Adult Participants.

Training health professional students to work with older adults will improve future workforce capacity to meet growing needs. Additionally, older adults may benefit from health education and interactions with health professional students. We analyzed survey responses from older adults who had participated in an interprofessional health student education program regarding their experiences. Qualitative data were summed and averaged, and quantitative survey data were analyzed with Fisher’s Exact Test. At least 60% of participants reported receiving information for health needs or making changes to physical activity, dental care, or diet. The most significant differences in lifestyle modifications were noted among racial and ethnic minorities and among speakers of different primary languages. 64% of the qualitative responses reflected positive affirmation of the program. Our data suggest that interactions with health students are meaningful experiences for older adults, are associated with healthy habit changes, and reflect demographic differences in response to health education.

Effectiveness of Conducting Interprofessional Education Virtually among Pharmacy and Medical Students

Interprofessional education (IPE) helps fostering collaboration between pharmacy (PH) and medical (MD) students. However, the effectiveness of conducting IPE virtually has not been tested. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual IPE activity among PH and MD students. A pre-post analytical cohort study was conducted among second-year PH and MD students. The students were divided into groups, which consisted of both MD and PH students. The students from the two disciplines had to work on a clinical case and present it creatively. All the sessions were conducted virtually. The students’ team-based competencies were measured before and after the IPE activity using a self-administered Interprofessional Collaboration Competency Attainment (ICCA). Students’ responses were analyzed using a paired t-test in SPSS, version 26. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to show significant changes in the students’ competencies before and after attending the IPE activity. The mean competencies score of the students before the IPE was 97.8±25.2 and improved to 107.9±21.4 after the activity. A paired t-test showed a significant increase in competencies score, p < 0.05. More than half of the students (54.3%) had adequate team-based competencies after the virtual IPE activity. Online learning is not a barrier to cultivating collaboration and knowledge sharing between two disciplines, and virtual IPE was effective in fostering interprofessional experiential learning among students. As there is a lack of sustainable data and qualified faculties to fully address the implementation of IPE programs, this research can act as a guide to support the needs and identify the challenges around such implementation of IPE program in future academic curriculums.

보건의료계열 대학생 대상 노인 돌봄을 위한 전문직 간 교육 프로그램 효과

Purpose: This study developed an interprofessional education (IPE) program for elderly care, and analyzed its effect on healthcare college students. Method: The study was designed using a quasi-experimental method (single group, before and after). The participants were 60 students in the nursing, physical therapy, and biomedical engineering departments.Data were collected using a two-section self-reported questionnaire, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired t-test using SPSS/WIN Statistics version 23.0. Results: Students’ interprofessional attitudes and readiness for IPE learning scores were significantly high. Conclusion: We established that an IPE program can effectively increase interprofessional attitudes and readiness for IPE learning among nursing, physical therapy, and biomedical engineering students.

Getting to know you: implementing an interprofessional education program for medical and respiratory therapy students in mechanical ventilation – challenges and lessons learned

ABSTRACT The physician and respiratory therapist function as an interprofessional team caring for patients on mechanical ventilation. There is a paucity of research devoted to interprofessional education (IPE) of students from different professions in mechanical ventilation during clinical rotations in the medical intensive care unit (MICU). Student interprofessional education could develop team communication and shared decision-making skills early in training. The uniqueness of this introductory IPE programme is that it occurs during a clinical rotation in a real MICU, as opposed to a pre-clinical simulated campus setting, and it blends students from various educational backgrounds. Medical students and respiratory therapy students from different academic institutions participated in traditional lectures, small interprofessional group case-based problem-solving sessions, MICU bedside teaching sessions, written assessments, and focus groups. Quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative responses were categorised using the core competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. The purpose of this introductory IPE programme was to foster opportunities for interprofessional interaction during the student clinical experience while improving knowledge about mechanical ventilation. Qualitative expectations and feedback were predominantly positive. Quantitative responses suggest that students from both disciplines gained knowledge about mechanical ventilation in an IPE setting.

Promoting poverty awareness in health professions students

AbstractThis article highlights the utilization of Missouri Community Action Network's Poverty Simulation within an Interprofessional Education program to teach students about the complexities of poverty and enhance the development of professional identity.

Using Q-methodology to determine students' perceptions of interprofessional anatomy education.

Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares healthcare students for collaboration in their future careers. The purpose of this study was to determine which aspects of the IPE Program in Anatomy at McMaster University contributed to the development of healthcare student's interprofessional skills. Q-methodology was used to identify the students' common viewpoints of the IPE experience. A total of 26/28 (93%) of students in the course from the medical, nursing, midwifery, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy programs participated in this study. Students were asked to sort a Q-sample of 43statements about the IPE dissection course derived from previous qualitative studies of the program. Using the centroid factor extraction and varimax rotation, three salient factors (groups) emerged, namely: (1) Anatomy IPE Enthusiasts, (2) Practical IPE Advocates, and (3) Skeptical IPE Anatomists. The Anatomy IPE Enthusiasts believed that students from different disciplines brought unique anatomical knowledge and each group member guided others through difficult material. The Practical IPE Advocates expressed that they would be stronger advocates for interprofessional teams in the future because of the course. The Skeptical IPE Anatomists strongly disagreed that learning with students from different disciplines helped them gain an understanding of their roles in the context of other healthcare professionals and felt that there was little benefit from the IPE program compared to other non-interprofessional programs. These findings about student attitudes are critical to drive an evidence-based evolution of the IPE dissection course, since students' perceptions can have a profound influence on interprofessional collaboration in the workplace.

The Effect of a Geriatric Simulation-enhanced Interprofessional Education on Health Profession Students

BackgroundAlzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, making it urgent to prepare health providers in interprofessional teams to care for those affected. MethodsAn unfolding geriatric simulation-enhanced interprofessional education program was designed using an ACE.S case and breakout activities for an interprofessional group of nursing, social work, speech therapy and nutrition students. ResultsPre post education measures revealed a decrease in perceived challenges for interprofessional collaboration, with no change in readiness for interprofessional learning. Satisfaction with the education design was rated positively, and individual education components were rated as valuable. ConclusionsThis study offers educators an effective example of an unfolding active interprofessional geriatric education related to Alzheimer's care.

A Comparative Evaluation of Oral Hygiene Practice, Knowledge, and Attitude among Hospital Employees in Amritsar, India

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene awareness, knowledge, and practice attitude of employees, working in different departments of a hospital in Amritsar, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 203 volunteer participants between the ages of 23 and 56 years, both males and females, who were divided into four groups: doctors, nurses, support medical staff, and support nonmedical staff. Subjects were administered self-administered questionnaire addressing demographics, knowledge, and attitude and practice behavior of participants. The data were collected, segregated, and analyzed. Results: The knowledge score of physicians was adequate, but their attitude and behavior scores were substantially low. Overall performance of the other three groups - nurses, support medical staff, and support nonmedical staff in terms of knowledge, attitude, and behavior sections was not satisfactory. Survey revealed that only 26.2% of subjects brushed twice daily. About 17% reported use of dental floss and 18.7% used either mouthwash or tongue cleaner as adjuncts. Conclusion: The inadequate knowledge about oral health and hygiene of hospital employees as well as their callous attitudes toward these areas suggest a pressing need for the implementation of continuous dental education. The efficacy of dental health education can be increased only if health programs are tailored to directly impinge on attitudes of targeted population. Interprofessional education programs for healthcare staff can create learning environment where health workers from various fields can interact and learn how to prepare them for seamless teamwork in collaboration for coordinated patient care. Hence, a proactive approach is required to create awareness about oral health and hygiene.

Using Patient Simulation to Promote Best Practices in Fall Prevention and Postfall Assessment in Nursing Homes.

Background:Fall-related injuries rise with age and are of particular concern for frail populations living in nursing homes.Local Problem:The Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre is a large nursing home in Ontario, Canada. In 2019, we conducted internal audits of our Falls Prevention Program and identified notable variations in staff's response to a resident fall.Interventions:We developed an in situ patient simulation program of a resident fall.Methods:This was a mixed-methods evaluation of participants' perspectives of a simulation-based interprofessional education program for fall prevention.Results:Participants indicated high-level support for simulation-based learning, with more than 80% of the participants expressing that they will apply these skills in the future when caring for a resident who falls.Conclusions:Our findings indicate that simulation-based training is well received by frontline workers in a nursing home setting and can be conducted as part of a typical shift with minimal disruption to resident care.

Meta-techniques for faculty development: A continuous improvement model for building capacity to facilitate in a large interprofessional program

Literature regarding faculty development in uniprofessional healthcare programs is prolific; however, little has been written about instructional programs designed for faculty delivering interprofessional education (IPE). In this paper, we describe the genesis, content, and improvement of a faculty development workshop which exemplifies a meta teaching model and was designed to serve faculty facilitators in a rapidly growing IPE program. Evaluations following initial delivery of the workshops in fall 2018 returned high faculty satisfaction ratings and feedback suggesting a need for even more pedagogical training with a stronger emphasis on meta techniques and less on a review of student content. In response, program developers incorporated additional teaching techniques in the spring 2019 training. Faculty evaluations in spring 2019 reflected even greater satisfaction with the increased focus on “meta skills”. The faculty development program described in this paper supports the need for a structured training process for faculty facilitating in IPE programs.

Start of the Road: Views on Interprofessional Education among Faculty of a Medical School in Turkey

Aim: Interprofessional Education (IPE) has been emphasized as an important pedagogical strategy for improving collaboration and the quality of care. Before implementing this strategy to curriculum with a program it is important to determine the views of the instructors about the program, for its initiation, sustainability and success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the opinions of faculty members in the Süleyman Demirel University School of Medicine (SDUSM) about IPE.Methods: This descriptive study used qualitative data obtained with the semi-structure interview method. Out of 185 faculty members, 38 of them attended an informative meeting about IPE. The sample group was established by random selection who volunteered to participate, interviews continued t ill the data saturation is observed (n=14). The recordings of the interview were transcribed and content analyses of the qualitative data were carried out by four experts. MAXQDA software (version 12) was used in content analysis for thematic coding and determining frequency distributions.2 Results: The faculty members discussed the feasibility of IPE programs, models of the educational program, the positive aspects and barriers of implementing IPE and its potential contribution to the medical profession. Faculty members mentioned several barriers related to the implementation of IPE. Also, they stated that the IPE approach would facilitate adaptation to professional life and possibly help produce well-equipped and self-confident doctors with strong communication, empathy, and team working skills.Conclusions: In line with these opinions, IPE can be considered as an educational method that can be implemented in SDUSM.

Institutionalizing an interprofessional simulation education program: an organizational case study using a model of strategic change

ABSTRACT Initiatives to implement interprofessional simulation education programs (ISEP) often fail due to lack of support, resources from management or proper integration into the organization system. This paper aims to identify factors that ensure the successful implementation of an ISEP. Further, the study explores the potential effects an ISEP can have on organizational processes and culture. The case study describes the implementation process of an ISEP in a non-academic community hospital using interviews, participative observations and archival data over six years. A thematic approach has been used to analyze the data guided by Kotter’s 8-step model for organizational change. Strategies for a successful implementation of an ISEP include: 1) make a case for interprofessional simulation-based education (SBE), 2) search for healthcare champions, 3) define where the ISEP will lead the organization, 4) spread the word about interprofessional SBE, 5) ensure that structures, skills and supervisors align with the change effort, 6) win over smaller entities, 7) enable peer feedback and create more change, 8) institutionalize the ISEP. Indicators of how the ISEP impacted hospital culture are presented and discussed. ISEPs – if implemented effectively – provide powerful opportunities to span boundaries between professional groups, foster interprofessional collaboration, and eventually improve patient care.