Gaining interprofessional knowledge and interprofessional competence on a training ward

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Interprofessional training wards established in Germany since 2017.
• These wards facilitate collaborative patient care among diverse health professions under supervision.
• Mannheim's Interprofessional Training Ward MIA offers mandatory placements for students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gains in interprofessional knowledge and competence post-placement.
• To compare self-reported outcomes between students on the training ward and control groups.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-randomized controlled study design.
• Questionnaire used for collecting self-reported interprofessional learning outcomes.
• T-tests employed for pretest-posttest and experimental-control group comparisons.

Main Results:

• MIA participants showed a significant increase in self-reported interprofessional knowledge and competence.
• MIA participants reported significantly higher levels of interprofessional knowledge and competence than control groups.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional training wards provide practical experience in real patient care settings.
• These placements effectively prepare future health professionals for interprofessional teamwork.
• Enhanced interprofessional collaboration leads to improved patient care outcomes.