Students improve patient care and prepare for professional practice: an interprofessional community-based study

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Learning
• Primary Health Care

Background:

• An innovative education model allows students to contribute to community healthcare practice.
• Students gain experience in complex, real-world team-working environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of interprofessional learning on patient care and service delivery.
• To assess the effectiveness of a practice-based interprofessional education model.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing a realist approach.
• Data collected via focus groups, interviews, and e-questionnaires from practice staff, patients, and facilitators.
• Student feedback forms were compared with participant analysis.

Main Results:

• Practice staff (n=23) reported student teams improved patient care quality and organizational systems.
• Facilitators (n=8) confirmed the positive value of student contributions.
• Patients (n=23) identified direct benefits from student work, corroborated by 434 student feedback forms.

Conclusions:

• Undergraduate interprofessional student teams can effectively support practice teams and enhance patient care.
• The practice-based model offers theory-driven learning and valuable student contributions.
• This model aligns with educational outcome frameworks, demonstrating positive results for education and practice.