Evaluation of students' knowledge, values, and experiences in a geriatrics interprofessional practice-based model

The objective was to evaluate (1) students' knowledge in a variety of geriatrics competencies, (2) students' attitudes toward the value of interprofessional practice, and (3) pharmacy students' experiences after an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in a practice-based interprofessional education (IPE) model.

Nursing, pharmacy, social work, and health sciences programs who participated in the Richmond Health and Wellness Program (RHWP) interprofessional experience received pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in geriatrics knowledge. An adapted Attitude Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) was used to assess changes in students' attitudes toward the value of interprofessional teamwork. Finally, representative quotes were taken from APPE evaluations to illustrate the pharmacy student experience.

Seventy-two out of 82 (87.8%) interprofessional students who participated in the practice-based IPE model at RHWP in the fall 2018 participated in this study. Geriatrics knowledge scores significantly increased by 4.03 (P < .001) with a significant change in some knowledge domains: frailty (P = .005) and medication knowledge (P = .017). Attitudes toward the value of interprofessional practice increased with a statistically significant difference in the ATHCTS quality of care subscale (P < .001). Pharmacy students found the interprofessional collaboration to be valuable.

A practice-based IPE experience can provide many benefits to health professional students. By working as a team, students learn from each other, leading to increased knowledge on several geriatrics competencies. Students understand the importance of IPE experiences, but their attitudes become more positive through application.