IPE-COM: a pilot study on interprofessional learning design for medical and midwifery students

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Community-Based Learning

Background:

• Interprofessional teamwork skills are crucial in healthcare and should be integrated early in health professions education.
• Medical doctors and midwives in Indonesia frequently collaborate in primary care, necessitating joint training.
• A community-based interprofessional education (IPE) approach is recommended for medical and midwifery students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of community-based interprofessional education on students' collaborative competencies.
• Assessed competencies included communication, collaboration, role understanding, patient-centered approaches, team functioning, and conflict management.

Main Methods:

• A pre-experimental study with a one-group pre- and post-test design was employed.
• 15 medical and 19 midwifery students participated in a 4-week community-based IPE course (IPE-COM).
• Data were collected via supervisor observations using the Interprofessional Collaborator Assessment Rubric (ICAR).

Main Results:

• A significant enhancement in interprofessional education competencies was observed post-course.
• Community-based IPE demonstrated the strongest positive effect on team functioning.
• A moderate effect was noted on the collaborative patient-centered approach.

Conclusions:

• Community-based interprofessional education learning positively impacts collaborative competencies.
• Both medical and midwifery students showed increased collaborative skills after the IPE program.