Immersing students in family-centered interprofessional collaborative practice

The goal of interprofessional education (IPE) is to improve outcomes and experience of healthcare services for patients and families through collaborative practice. While patients and families may participate in IPE experiences as recipients of healthcare services, their perspective on students' emerging collaborative skills is rarely sought. We describe a pediatric IPE activity in which participating families rated students' performance of the targeted interprofessional collaborative competencies. We asked whether family ratings would be consistent with student self-ratings and independent observer ratings. Participants were 40 interprofessional pre-licensure student teams representing physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and speech-language pathology. Each team developed a joint assessment plan, conducted a 1-h play-based observation of a child, 30 months of age or under, and interviewed an accompanying parent/caregiver. Quantitative rating scale data indicated consistency between family, student and independent observer ratings of interprofessional collaborative skills displayed by the students. Qualitative data suggested that students gained a better understanding of ways in which an interprofessional team can provide effective family-centered care. Our results suggest that patient/family feedback can provide a useful measure of the effectiveness of IPE activities and should be included in such activities targeting interprofessional collaborative competences across settings and patient populations.