STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF AN UNDERGRADUATE INTERPROFESSIONAL CAPSTONE COURSE INCLUDING HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Health Information Management

Background:

• Healthcare demands improved patient care and cost-efficiency, necessitating strong teamwork among professionals.
• Developing collaboration and teamwork skills early in post-secondary education is crucial for future healthcare practitioners.
• Integrating health information management (HIM) students into interprofessional learning highlights HIM's value within healthcare teams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess undergraduate HIM students' perceptions of interprofessional education (IPE) activities.
• To evaluate the application of IPE competencies within a capstone course involving diverse healthcare majors.
• To identify student experiences and challenges in collaborative learning environments.

Main Methods:

• An interprofessional capstone course was designed to integrate undergraduate HIM students with other healthcare majors.
• Student perceptions of learning activities focused on applying interprofessional education competencies were collected and summarized.
• Qualitative feedback regarding group work dynamics, especially in virtual settings, was analyzed.

Main Results:

• Students reported positive perceptions regarding learning activities that supported at least three of the four interprofessional education competencies.
• A significant portion of student feedback indicated challenges and difficulties encountered during group work, particularly within virtual team settings.
• The study identified specific areas where IPE activities effectively fostered collaboration and areas needing improvement.

Conclusions:

• Integrating HIM students into interprofessional capstone courses can positively impact their understanding and application of essential healthcare competencies.
• Addressing challenges in virtual teamwork is critical for optimizing interprofessional learning experiences for all healthcare students.
• Sharing these findings can encourage wider adoption of IPE opportunities for undergraduate HIM students, enhancing their readiness for collaborative practice.