WHIRL Study: Workplace Health Interprofessional Learning in the Construction Industry

Area of Science:

• Public Health Workforce Development
• Interprofessional Education and Practice
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Interprofessional learning (IPL) is crucial for equipping future public health professionals.
• The construction industry presents unique occupational health challenges and opportunities for intervention.
• Bridging the gap between research, education, and clinical practice in health promotion is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Workplace Health InteRprofessional Learning (WHIRL) intervention.
• To assess the impact of WHIRL on healthcare trainees' interprofessional skills.
• To validate the Inventory of Reflective Vignette-Interprofessional Learning (IRV-IPL) tool.

Main Methods:

• A one-group post-test only design was employed for the WHIRL intervention.
• Twenty volunteer healthcare trainees participated in multi-professional teams delivering 464 health checks.
• Training included education, observation, self-directed learning, supervision, and peer mentoring; outcomes measured by IRV-IPL.

Main Results:

• WHIRL significantly improved trainees' interprofessional skills in collaboration, coordination, cooperation, communication, and commendation.
• The IRV-IPL tool demonstrated validity and reliability in measuring interprofessional competencies.
• The program successfully facilitated the attainment of health check competencies within an industry setting.

Conclusions:

• The WHIRL program provides an effective model for industry-based interprofessional learning.
• This intervention successfully enhanced essential interprofessional skills for healthcare trainees.
• The validated IRV-IPL tool can reliably assess interprofessional competence in health promotion contexts.