Applying interprofessional Team-Based Learning in patient safety: a pilot evaluation study.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Patient Safety
• Interprofessional Learning

Background:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) interventions often face challenges in achieving desired learning outcomes.
• Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a pedagogical approach suited for IPE due to its focus on team performance.
• The effectiveness of interprofessional TBL for patient safety learning remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate participant reactions to TBL in an interprofessional context.
• To assess the achievement of interprofessional education learning objectives.
• To document shifts in patient safety attitudes and behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A three-day course on non-technical skills for patient safety was developed for pre-qualifying healthcare students.
• A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design was employed, utilizing validated assessment instruments.
• Data analysis included descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

Main Results:

• Thirty-nine students participated, rating TBL positively as an instructional method.
• Team performance consistently surpassed individual scores in readiness assurance tests.
• Significant improvements were noted in communication, teamwork, and interprofessional learning, with mixed results for safety attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional TBL is a well-received pedagogical method with potential for enhancing patient safety learning objectives.
• Developing clinically relevant cases involving diverse professions is essential for optimizing interprofessional TBL.
• Further research with larger samples and robust designs is recommended to validate these preliminary findings.