Measuring the impact of an online IPE course on team perceptions

Interprofessional education (IPE) needs to begin with foundational learning experiences for health professions learners at an institution. There is a recognized need for IPE to be embedded into health profession curriculums; however, several barriers prevent the implementation. The purpose of this project was to determine if an introductory online IPE course can overcome some of the existing barriers to implementing IPE while influencing team perceptions among health professional students. The modified Team Skills Scale was used to assess perceptions of students from six health professions programs pre-posttest to the introductory course. The researchers grounded the development of the course in the Institute of Medicine's Interprofessional Learning Continuum. Results show that an introductory online course in IPE can affect team perceptions of students and can be offered on a large scale with minimal impact on faculty workload. The pedagogical approach implies institutions with large numbers of health professions programs, large numbers of students and distance learners may benefit from a similar approach to introducing interprofessional collaboration.