Getting real in interprofessional clinical placements: patient-centeredness in student teams' collaborative learning

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Increasing healthcare complexity necessitates effective collaboration among providers.
• Interprofessional education (IPE) research often overlooks patient-student team interactions.
• Understanding patient-student team dynamics is crucial for effective IPE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient-student team interactions in interprofessional clinical placements.
• To identify how interprofessional student teams engage with patients during clinical learning.
• To understand the impact of these interactions on teamwork and patient-centeredness.

Main Methods:

• Focused ethnographic approach utilizing participant observation and qualitative interviews.
• Study conducted in both physical and online interprofessional clinical placement settings.
• Analysis guided by Goffman's dramaturgy, employing reflexive thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Students intended patient-centeredness, but patients sometimes felt excluded or unheard.
• Student teams adapted their composition and interventions post-encounter to better meet patient needs.
• Team-based patient encounters shifted students' perspectives on patients, health issues, and collaboration.

Conclusions:

• IPE educators must emphasize patient-centered care within clinical learning arrangements.
• Current clinical placements may not fully leverage opportunities to teach patient-centeredness.
• Thematizing patient-centeredness in supervision can enhance interprofessional teamwork.