Enhancing interprofessional student practice through a case-based model.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Practice
• Clinical Education

Background:

• Healthcare demands collaborative practice for optimal patient outcomes.
• Interprofessional working needs to be integrated into student education, particularly during clinical placements.
• Current practice education models may not fully prepare students for collaborative healthcare environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To qualitatively evaluate a client-centered, case-based interprofessional education (IPE) model.
• To assess the impact of the IPE model on interprofessional communication and teamwork skills.
• To explore the experiences of students and therapists involved in practice-based IPE.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative evaluation using three focus groups with students, therapists, and placement facilitators.
• Implementation of the meet, assess, goal set, plan, implement, evaluate (MAGPIE) framework for case-based teaching.
• Integration of the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF) framework.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: IPE was perceived as a motivating experience.
• IPE was found to enhance the depth of learning for participants.
• IPE contributed to a clearer understanding of expectations among students and therapists.

Conclusions:

• The client-centered, case-based IPE model, utilizing the MAGPIE framework, provides a strong foundation for learning in practice education.
• IPE in clinical settings effectively improves interprofessional communication and teamwork skills.
• This model supports the development of essential collaborative competencies for future healthcare professionals.