Changes in medical students´ and anesthesia technician trainees´ attitudes towards interprofessionality - experience...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Medical Simulation
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Interprofessional simulation based education (IPSBE) shows promise for improving attitudes towards collaboration.
• However, differential benefits across health professions and underlying mechanisms require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a 14-hour interprofessional simulation-based education course on final year medical students (FYMS) and final year anesthesia technician trainees (FYATT).
• To explore participants' attitudes towards interprofessionalism, collaboration, and learning.

Main Methods:

• A 14-hour IPSBE course was designed with critical incident scenarios.
• Participants included FYMS and FYATT.
• Attitudes were assessed using the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire pre- and post-course.
• Qualitative data on participants' perceptions were gathered via focus group illustration maps (n=15).

Main Results:

• Both FYMS and FYATT demonstrated improved self-assessed communication and teamwork skills, and attitudes towards interprofessional interactions.
• Attitudes towards interprofessional learning significantly improved only in FYMS.
• Qualitative findings highlighted teamwork, communication, hierarchy, and understanding of professional roles as key factors influencing attitude changes.

Conclusions:

• IPSBE positively impacts communication and teamwork skills across professions.
• Enhancing interprofessional learning attitudes may differ between health professions.
• The study supports increased integration of IPSBE in undergraduate healthcare curricula to foster effective collaboration.