The Brewsters: A new resource for interprofessional ethics education.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Bioethics
• Professionalism Studies

Background:

• Interprofessional ethics education faces a resource gap for engaging students in ethical professional reflection.
• This project introduced and assessed an innovative educational resource to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an interprofessional learning activity focused on professionalism, clinical ethics, and research ethics.
• The activity aimed to enhance students' understanding and application of ethical principles in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A choose-your-own-adventure novel, "The Brewsters," was utilized, covering professionalism, clinical ethics, and research ethics.
• A pilot study employed a pre-test/post-test design, while a larger campus-wide implementation used post-tests and satisfaction surveys.
• The activity was completed by 755 health science students across six academic schools.

Main Results:

• The pilot study (112 students) showed a significant increase in student knowledge.
• The broader implementation (755 students) resulted in high post-test knowledge scores and positive participant evaluations.
• Students demonstrated particularly strong performance in clinical ethics, possibly influenced by media portrayals.

Conclusions:

• "The Brewsters" serves as an effective, innovative resource for teaching interprofessional ethics and professionalism.
• Further research is necessary to ascertain the long-term impact of this educational activity on actual professional behavior.