Readiness For Interprofessional Education Research Articles

Enhancing interprofessional education readiness in undergraduate dental students: a scenario-based peer learning programme.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is an educational approach that brings together students from different healthcare professions to foster collaborative learning and teamwork. Before integrating IPE into the curriculum of health preprofessional students, it is necessary to increase their readiness for IPE. Dentistry increasingly values interprofessional collaboration and teamwork for enhanced patient care and healthcare team competencies, an emphasis also echoed by recent dental education authorities. The aim of this quasi-experimental research was to assess the influence of Scenario Based Learning Peer Learning (SBPL) programme, which involved scenarios necessitating interprofessional communication, on the readiness for IPE among a cohort of undergraduate dental students studying within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This study investigates undergraduate dental students' readiness for IPE and the influence of SBPL programme on their readiness. Participants (n = 25) from 18 EHEA countries completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale(RIPLS) before and after SBPL programme, held at the 70th European Dental Students' Association (EDSA)meeting. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test (p = 0.05). After the SBPT programme, there was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in the mean of the total scale, teamwork and collaboration, roles and responsibilities and professional identity subscale. In general, SBPL programme showed a constructive effect on interprofessional readiness. Although there was no statistically significant increase only in items 9,12,18 of the 19 items of the RIPLS, there was an increase in the averages in all except item 12. Our research emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives and IPE in the realm of dental education. Within the limits of this study, it showcases the efficacy of a brief half-day SBPL programme with interprofessional scenarios in enhancing participants' readiness. The programme notably enhanced dental students' readiness in grasping crucial aspects of IPE: teamwork and collaboration, professional identity, and roles and responsibilities. However, this study does not delve into the potential impact of a comprehensive, long-term curriculum integrating IPE principles. This gap underscores the need for further exploration into the sustained influence of IPE on the interprofessional skills of dental school graduates.

Let's Learn Together! A Mixed-Methods Study to Assess Readiness for Interprofessional Education on Total Worker Health® Practice.

Occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals increasingly need interdisciplinary collaborative practice competencies to respond to complex worker safety, health, and well-being risks. Effective collaboration with non-OSH-trained professionals (e.g., health promotion, human resources) is critical for planning integrated interventions that address work and non-work risks, consistent with a "Total Worker Health" (TWH) approach. Interprofessional education (IPE) pedagogy offers skill-building for interdisciplinary collaboration, but little attention has been given to IPE in OSH education and training literature. The goal of this study was to assess OSH professionals' perceptions about IPE to guide application in postgraduate TWH education. The mixed-methods study involved 210 U.S. professionals in safety (31%), industrial hygiene (16%), occupational nursing (12%) and medicine (11%), and related disciplines (30%). Participants completed a 12-item Readiness for Interprofessional Education Scale (RIPLS) adapted for TWH. Nineteen survey-takers also participated in virtual focus groups to share opinions about IPE benefits, barriers, and desirable course features. Occupational safety and health professionals reported high overall readiness for IPE (RIPLS, 4.45 ± 0.47), endorsing IPE for interdisciplinary skill-building. Salient IPE motivators were learning new perspectives from diverse disciplines and industries; gaining new subject expertise; developing common ground across disciplines; and learning TWH best practices. Participants recommended case studies to practice interdisciplinary problem-solving through group work. Interprofessional education is a promising pedagogy for OSH continuing education to promote interdisciplinary collaboration skills needed for TWH practice in the workplace. Occupational safety and health educators need to build competency in IPE pedagogical theory and practice to ensure effective training design and evaluation.

Describing the readiness for interprofessional education among university students attending healthcare programs: insights from a monocentric cross-sectional study.

Readiness for interprofessional education (IPE) was recognized by international authorities as a key approach for educating students attending healthcare programs. Thus far, there are no descriptions of readiness for IPE in the Albanian context. For this reason, this study aimed to describe readiness for IPE, assessed by measuring "teamwork and collaboration" and "positive professional identity, roles, and responsibilities" among students attending healthcare programs in an Italian-speaking university based in Albania, and describe the correlations between readiness for IPE and the characteristics of the respondents. This study had a descriptive observational design, a cross-sectional data collection, and a convenience sampling procedure performed in a single centre. The study was accomplished between April 2020 and June 2021, involving 688 students, 38.2% of the entire population of students attending healthcare programs in the context of the investigation. The teamwork and collaboration mean score was 4.40 (standard deviation = 0.56), and no differences were found between programs (p-value=0.159). The positive professional identity, roles, and responsibilities mean score was 4.33 (standard deviation = 0.64) with no differences between programs (p-value=0.340). Females attending nursing or midwifery reported higher positive professional identity, roles, and responsibilities scores (p-value=0.020), and females in dentistry reported higher teamwork and collaboration scores than males (p-value=0.045). Future research should evaluate readiness for IPE longitudinally to ascertain its trajectories over time and analyze any potential individual- or organizational-level variables that may impact IPE and sex-related differences regarding factors influencing IPE.

Student perceptions of hybrid delivery of interprofessional anatomy-The best of both worlds?

Interprofessional anatomy dissection (IAD) courses increase students' readiness for interprofessional education (IPE) both in-person and online. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual environments for anatomy learning were perceived as less effective. Hybrid instruction approaches emerged but have been scarcely evaluated. This study assessed students' experiences with a hybrid IAD course's virtual and in-person components. A hybrid IAD course consisting of virtual and in-person anatomy laboratory-based instruction was offered to 32 students from different health sciences programs. Before and after the full course, students completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). After the virtual and the in-person course components, students completed a Q-methodology survey to assess their perceptions of the course. Twenty-eight students (20 females; 24.8 ± 6.3 years old) from different programs (4 Physician Assistant; 2 Midwifery; 3 Speech-Language Pathology; 4 Physiotherapy; 3 Occupational therapy; 4 Nursing; 8 Medicine) participated. The total RIPLS score improved after the 8-week course (Median 84 interquartile range [78-87] vs. 87 [85-90]; p = 0.0145). The Q-methodology identified three factors: IPE & Virtual Enthusiasts, Introspective Learners, and IPE & Virtual Skeptics. Factors represented different levels of students' engagement with the IPE and virtual environment. The transition to in-person resulted in all factors praising the experience. Health science students showed improvements in their readiness for IPE after an 8-week hybrid IAD course. The main differences in the evaluations of the virtual and in-person components were related to engagement and the ability to learn anatomy; no differences were noted between settings regarding engagement in IPE.

Readiness for Interprofessional Education Among Health Profession Students in a University in the United Arab Emirates.

Inter-Professional Education (IPE) is an educational engagement between students from two or more professions possibly leading to better collaboration among them in the future workplace. Several organizations have advocated, developed, and updated guidelines for IPE. This study was aimed at assessing the medical, dental, and pharmacy students' readiness toward interprofessional education (IPE), and to identify the association between readiness and the demographic profile of students in a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A cross-sectional questionnaire-based exploratory study involving 215 medical, dental, and pharmacy students at Ajman University, UAE, using convenience sampling. The survey questionnaire (Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, RIPLS) had a total of 19 statements. The first 9 items were related to "teamwork and collaboration", items 10-16 were related to "professional identity", and the remaining three (items 17-19) were related to "roles and responsibilities". The individual statements' median (IQR) scores were calculated and the total scores were compared with the demographic characteristics of the respondents with suitable non-parametric tests at alpha=0.05. Altogether, 215 undergraduate students (medical (n= 35)), pharmacy (n=105), and dental (n=75) responded to the survey. The median (IQR) score for the 19 individual statements was '5 (4-5)' for 12 of the statements. The total scores and domain-specific scores (teamworkand collaboration, professional identity, and roles and responsibilities) according to respondents' demography showed significant differences only in the case of the educational stream with professionalidentity score (p=<0.001), and the total RIPLS score (p=0.024). Further, post hoc pairwise comparison showed a significant difference between medicine-pharmacy (p<0.001), and dentistry-medicine (p=0.009), for professional identity, and medicine-pharmacy (p=0.020) for the total RIPLS score. A high readiness score among students offers the possibility of conducting IPE modules. A favorable attitude can be considered by curriculum planners while initiating IPE sessions.

Readiness for interprofessional education among healthcare students in Oman: Results of a cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT Interprofessional education (IPE) is a promising educational strategy to strengthen the healthcare system in Oman. This study aimed to evaluate the perception and readiness of nursing and medical students for IPE in Oman. Students enrolled in medical and nursing programs at Sultan Qaboos University were invited to participate in this study by completing the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). A total of 390 (180 nursing and 210 medical) students completed the survey. The RIPLS scores of nursing and medical students were high. Medical students had significantly higher scores in the Negative Professional Identity subscale. Gender and GPA correlated with total scores. Medical and nursing students demonstrated positive perceptions and readiness for IPE. Efforts should be directed to facilitate its implementation in the curriculum.

CHANGING AGING MYTHS AND READINESS FOR INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER STUDENTS

Abstract The preparation of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students caring for the older adult population is inadequate. The design was a quasi-experimental pilot study (N = 30) to assess change in myths about aging and readiness for interprofessional education (IPE) in FNP students near graduation. The Woolf Aging Quiz (WAQ) containing 24 true-false myths about older adults, and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) containing 19 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (high score indicates more readiness), were completed at baseline and post-intervention. The intervention consisted of 4-weeks of education on normal aging, agism, age friendly healthcare, and IPE using online weekly brief video presentations and peer discussion. Thirty FNP students, mean age 43.5 years, 80.6% (N = 25) female, 19.4% (N = 6) male. A paired t-test showed no significant pre-post difference in the WAQ (t = -1.388, p &amp;lt; .05). McNemar crosstab analysis of the WAQ items indicated 14 aging myths where students chose the wrong answer pre and post intervention. In addition, the RIPLS showed no significant change (t = .793, p &amp;lt; .05) from pre-intervention (mean = 35.87) to post-intervention (mean = 34.42). FNP students near graduation held strong ageist beliefs, reflected in the WAQ, and were unprepared for IPE. Both of these results were resistant to change. The data suggests that FNP programs need to address aging and IPE content earlier and provide students with exposure to older adults that addresses myths about aging affords both theoretical and practical opportunities for interprofessional learning.

READINESS FOR INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: PERSPECTIVE FROM MEDICAL AND NURSING STUDENTS

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is argued as an educational strategy for promoting communication and collaboration amongst prospective healthcare professionals. The benefits of IPE have culminated in improved patient care leading to enhanced satisfaction for patients and healthcare practitioners. Therefore, further exploration is needed to assess the readiness for IPE through healthcare students’ perspectives, specifically medical and nursing students.This study aimed to assess medical and nursing students’ readiness for IPE and the effect of gender on their readiness.Methods: A quantitative study design using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was employed on 150 medical students and 150 nursing students. Data was analyzed using descriptive and Mann-Whitney statistical analyses.Results: The readiness of IPE score was statistically significantly different between medical and nursing students (p-value &lt;0.0001), with nursing students (Median 4.34) found to have higher readiness or indicate more positive attitudes toward IPE compared to medical students (Median 3.73). Students are found to have a positive attitude or readiness towards IPE. This study also revealed that there was no significant difference in IPE readiness based on genders (p-value 0.087).Conclusion: It is essential to engage students in preparing the implementation of IPE for health sciences courses. Further workshops for IPE can be a strategic step to enhance readiness of the students.

Faculty members’ readiness for interprofessional education

Introduction: Healthcare is a complex system that requires collaboration across health professions. However, a plethora of reports has identified poor communication and collaboration within healthcare teams which could lead to patient safety issues. Interprofessional education (IPE) is an educational strategy to promote communication and collaboration between healthcare professionals. Despite knowing the readiness among students, opinions among faculty members regarding the need for IPE at UPH (Universitas Pelita Harapan) have yet to be examined despite the important roles of both students and faculties in developing an IPE curriculum. This study aimed to investigate the readiness among medical and nursing faculty members in establishing an IPE curriculum at UPH. Methods: This study applied a quantitative study design using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) by Parsell and Bligh (1999) which was translated to Indonesian and tested for its validity and reliability. The translated RIPLS questionnaire was administered to a total of 60 participants which consisted of 30 nursing and 30 medical faculty members. Subsequently, both descriptive and Mann-Whitney statistical analyses were conducted. Results: Findings revealed a statistically significant difference between the IPE scores (RIPLS) of nursing faculties and medical faculties (U = 652, z = 3.028; p = 0.012, r = 0.390). This demonstrates that the nursing faculty members (Median 4.30) indicated a higher level of readiness or more positive attitude towards IPE compared to the medical faculty members (Median 4.07). Conclusions: This study highlights that faculty members have a positive attitude or readiness toward IPE, with nursing faculties indicating higher levels of readiness than their counterparts in the medical faculty. Further exploration using a qualitative method is also important to understand the faculty members’ readiness for IPE as well as the commitments of faculty members and leadership on delivering IPE.

ENHANCING TEAM-WORK AND COLLABORATIVE SKILLS USING INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM-BASED LEARNING (IPTBL)

Interprofessional education (IPE) is preparing health professions students to work as a team in a collaborative environment to provide holistic patient care. The objective of this study was to measure the preparedness of faculty and undergraduate health professions students toward Interprofessional education and to evaluate the Interprofessional teaching module delivered by IPTBL pedagogy. A quantitative Pretest-Posttest experimental study design was adopted using homogeneous convenience sampling. An IPE program was developed by IP Team which had three phases, first to measure the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning using (RIPLS) questionnaire, and second, to develop a Learning module for non-communicable disease (Acute coronary syndrome), and the third Implementation of the module using IPTBL pedagogy. Seventy-eight participants volunteered for this IPE program, out of which 48 undergraduate health professions students from medicine and nursing programs and 30 faculties working in different disciplines and programs. There was a statistically significant difference observed in all the four subscales of RIPLS in health professions students and faculty before (Pre-Test) and after orientation (Post-Test). The overall mean scores improvement in the TRAT and peer evaluation indicates students’ valuable contributions to the team. This study’s findings showed health professional students and faculty demonstrated readiness for IPE. TBL is an effective pedagogy to deliver an Interprofessional learning module that enhances teamwork and collaboration skills, among health care professionals and can contribute to improving patient outcomes.

Students' Perception and Readiness Level Toward Interprofessional Education (IPE) Before and After Program Implementation

Background: The changing health system and the large number of patients presenting with chronic diseases require multi-disciplinary care. For this reason, Interprofessional Education (IPE) needs to be conducted to train teamwork between these health workers. Furthermore, to develop the IPE program at the faculty, it is necessary to have a good evaluation. In Kirkpatrick's evaluation model, an assessment of student perceptions and readiness can be carried out to evaluate IPE implementation. Therefore, the differences in perceptions and readiness at the beginning and after IPE implementation need to be carried out to assess the program. Objective: The purpose of this study is to find out the overview and comparison of perception and readiness level before and after the implementation of IPE. Methods: This research was a comparative quantitative study with a pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design with data collection using questionnaires. The type of data used in this study was primary data using Student Perception of Physician and Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education (SPICE) and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaires. 81 final semester academic students of the pharmacy and medical study program were collected to measure their level of perception and readiness for IPE before and after the implementation of IPE. The data were analyzed using the SPSS computer program. Result: Perception result before IPE was 4.29 (scale 1-5) and 4.49 after IPE. As for the results of readiness, 4.15 before IPE and 4.29 after IPE. There was a significant increase in students' perceptions and readiness after the implementation of IPE (P0.005). Conclusion: Most students have a good perception and readiness for IPE and there is a significant increase after IPE. Keywords: Interprofessional Relations, Professional Education, Questionnaire Design, Interdisciplinary

Readiness for inter-professional education at health sciences: A study of educational technology perspectives

Background:Interprofessional Education (IPE), is the engagement of two or more healthcare professions in an integrated learning environment to foster collaboration and improve healthcare services.In IPE, initiatives are taken where technology is a crucial part of the learning process.Current technology practices in IPE comprise eLearning modules on collaborative practice skills and many others.This study aims to determine the readiness for interprofessionaleducation ofthe health sciences students.Methods: A questionnaire called Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was used to assess attitudes related to interprofessional collaboration &amp; education. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were used to analyze the results in aggregate, as well as by each faculty. Results:Medicalstudents gave a higher rating in terms ofthe perceived benefits of working together to solve patient problems compared to other faculties. Also, they were more open to working in small-group projects with other healthcare students and value the importance of shared learning to clarify the nature of patients’ problems. But compared to others, the Nursing students wereunsure of what their professional role will be and wanted to acquire more knowledge and skills than other healthcare students. The total RIPLS score amongstall was in the high range.Conclusion:Thus, students were deemed ready for IPE.Recommendations:The University need to consider how to implement IPE within their curricula,define learning outcomes and/ or competencies,develop and utilize the 4Dimensional curriculum development framework in line with the health professional accreditation standards in order to promote collaboration and competence amongst all students ,whereby upon graduation, they as healthcare professionals, in turn will optimize health services, strengthen health system and improve healthoutcomes.&#x0D; Keywords: four dimensional curriculum;inter-professionaleducation; inter-professional learning; medical education

Pre-University Health Professional Students' Readiness and Perception Toward Interprofessional Education.

Background:Interprofessional education (IPE) helps preparing the learners in all healthcare professions to work effectively in collaborative teams. This study was undertaken to assess the readiness and perception of IPE of preuniversity health professional students even before they enter their health professional courses.Methods:The preuniversity health professional students along with final-year medical and dental students were recruited for the study. The readiness for interprofessional learning scale was used to measure the student's readiness toward IPE before the interprofessional-related activity session. The preuniversity students also completed the IEPS scale after their interaction with final-year medical and dental students.Results:Most of the aspiring health professional students during their foundation year expressed positive attitude toward readiness for IPE. Most preuniversity students realized that by learning with various professional students would make them effective member of healthcare team. The students had positive perception toward competence and autonomy, perceived need for cooperation, perception of actual cooperation, and understanding other's value, which were significantly higher from score 3 of somewhat disagree (P < 0.001).Conclusion:Most of the aspiring health professional students in their preuniversity year expressed positive attitude toward readiness for IPE although were not prepared to take roles and responsibility within the interprofessional group. They could well perceive the need for cooperation, perception of actual cooperation, and understanding other's value while working in an IP team.

A Focus on Methodology: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Conduct a Comprehensive Evaluation of the Need for One Health Education for Medical and Veterinary Students in the Context of COVID-19.

Background:The collaboration of health professionals across the interface of human, animal and environmental health, as embodied by the One Health concept (OH), is increasingly recognised as crucial for tackling diseases such as Ebola and COVID-19. This study was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in light of the current pandemic, the outcomes of this study highlight the need for educating Medical (MD) and Veterinary (DVM) students on the principles of OH. The purpose of this study was to determine the need for Interprofessional Education (IPE) initiatives that would familiarise MD and DVM students with the principles of OH, crucial to dissolving the siloes that have historically deterred collaboration.Method:We used a sequential explanatory Methods Research (MMR) approach design to evaluate the readiness of 428 students consisting of MD, DVM and dual degree Master of Public Health (MPH) students (MD/MPH, DVM/MPH) for IPE, as well as to obtain faculty perspectives across these disciplines, on the need for curricula inclusion of IPE and OH. Two methods of data collection were employed: A survey and 2 focus groups interviews.Results:The use of an MMR approach allowed us to comprehensively evaluate the need for OH education through the lenses of the students and faculty using a joint display that facilitated data integration and evaluation. Overall, the dual degree students had the greatest readiness for IPE, and MD students the lowest level of readiness for shared learning. The dual degree students had the most accurate understanding of OH competencies that consider the impacts of climate change, food security, antimicrobial resistance, health policy formation and zoonoses occurrence on human health. Themes derived from the focus group interviews revealed that faculty perceived OH education as crucial for preparing MD and DVM students for practice.Conclusion:The comprehensive assessment of the student and faculty perspectives, obtained using an MMR approach, illustrated that the incorporation of OH competencies within the MD and DVM curricula are crucial for preparing students for practice in the global environment. The dual degree pathway provides insight into how OH can be successfully incorporated within the curricula of these programmes.

Needs Assessment for Interprofessional Education: Implications for Integration and Readiness for Practice.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important concept to promote health professionals for interprofessional collaboration. Successful implementation of IPE in health education programs requires consideration of readiness and effectiveness and faces some challenges/barriers. The aim of this study was to examine the perception, understanding and attitude of health profession students and faculty members toward IPE. A cross-sectional study was conducted with students and faculty members from six health professions at Taif University. The study involved administration of the Readiness for Inter-Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire to all students. In addition, focus groups were conducted separately with both students and faculty members. The study showed that only 10 participants (four students, six faculty members) indicated their previous knowledge of IPE. IPE remains a new approach for the majority of students and faculty members. There was no significant difference in the readiness of IPE between professions. Students and faculty members showed positive attitudes toward the IPE curriculum and they believe that it will improve medical education at our university.

Health Science Students’ Readiness for Interprofessional Education and Affecting Factors

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&amp;lt;0.01), mother's education level (p&amp;lt;0.01), willingness to take classes with students from other departments (p&amp;lt;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.

Readiness for Inter-Professional Education (IPE) among healthcare professional students: A cross-sectional study

Readiness for Inter-Professional Education (IPE) among healthcare professional students: A cross-sectional study

A Pilot Study Using Asynchronous Case Discussion and Reflection to Provide Interprofessional Education to Physician Assistant and Physical Therapy Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects an asynchronous interprofessional education (IPE) activity had on graduate healthcare students’ beliefs regarding IPE, as measured by the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Methods: All first-year physician assistant and physical therapy students participated in a collaborative four-week online case discussion. Students who consented to participate in the research component filled out a pre- and post-activity RIPLS questionnaire. Responses were matched by an individualized, student-generated number to protect students’ identity. Only matched scores were analyzed. Results: The total score as well as the Teamwork and Professional Identity sub-scales were analyzed for pre-post changes using the paired t-test. The Roles and Responsibilities sub-scale was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, due to a non-normal data distribution. A significant change (a=0.05) in score was found only in the Roles and Responsibilities sub-scale. Secondary outcomes indicate that a high proportion of the students felt the objectives of the activity were met. Conclusions: Significant changes were found on only one sub-scale of the RIPLS. Therefore, asynchronous IPE delivery does not change graduate healthcare students’ readiness for IPE. The participants felt the activity met its objectives, which indicates that asynchronous IPE delivery may be a viable technique in this population. Future studies should examine the difference between asynchronous and live IPE on the outcomes noted in this pilot study.

Readiness for interprofessional education amongst students at public and private Medical Universities in Malaysia

Background and Aims: Interprofessional Education (IPE) is a vital academic blueprint for preparing future doctors to provide patient-centered collaborative approach to care best integrated health services. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and readiness of Malaysian medical students towards interprofessional education. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study carried out using a questionnaire survey: The Readiness of Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). A convenience sampling method was employed. The sample was drawn from undergraduate students enrolled in year 1 to 5 of medical program in two medical universities. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The RIPLS was completed by 361 medical students who valued the importance of IPE. The students mentioned that shared learning with other healthcare professional students will increase their ability to understand clinical problems. The students also specified that team-working skills are essential for all healthcare students to learn. However, there were differences between students of different years of study in their perception and readiness toward IPE. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that undergraduate-health-care students have high perception and readiness towards IPE, however important differences in baseline readiness emerged according to year-level. These findings suggest that educators consider baseline attitudes of students when designing interprofessional education curricula. The implication of this awareness and readiness to practice IPL will create a more concert and harmony workspace to the healthcare professionals.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Interprofessional education, Interprofessional learning, readiness, RIPLS, medical education

Perceptions of interdisciplinary education and readiness for inter-professional education of nursing students: A sample of three different cities in Turkey

BackgroundIn recent years, interprofessional education has been described as an opportunity for all healthcare professionals to enhance nursing quality by learning together and about one another. Determining perceptions and readiness of nurses regarding interprofessional education is important for effective education planning. ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to determine readiness for interprofessional learning and perceptions of interdisciplinary education of nursing students. DesignDescriptive and cross-sectional study. SettingsNursing departments of public universities, in three different cities in Turkey. MethodsThis study was conducted with 738 third- and fourth-year nursing students. The data of the study was collected using “Student Information Form”, “Readiness for Inter-professional Learning Scale (RIPLS)”, and “Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS)”. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation. ResultsMean age of the students was 21.56 ± 1.48, and the majority (72.9%) were women. Of the students, 58.9% chose their profession willingly, 56% chose the department as their first choice, 41.2% wanted to receive education with other healthcare students, and 84% reported having prior teamwork experience. Students' mean total scores of RIPLS and IEPS were respectively 69.78 ± 11.32 and 69.19 ± 16.62. There was a statistically significant difference between RIPLS mean scores and choosing the occupation willingly, order of choice, being satisfied with the choice of department, and willingness to study with other healthcare students, and between IEPS mean scores and choosing the occupation willingly, order of choice and being satisfied with the department choice (p < 0.05). ConclusionNursing students in three different cities had good readiness levels for interprofessional education and perception levels of interdisciplinary education, and differed according to certain demographical qualities. In addition, there was a positive relationship between readiness of inter-professional education, and perceptions of the students.