Interprofessional Collaborative Care Skills and Behaviors: Perception Differences Between Allied Health Students and...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Interprofessional collaboration
• Simulation-based learning

Background:

• Interprofessional practice and education (IPE) is crucial for healthcare students.
• Interprofessional simulation is an emerging teaching strategy, but research often focuses on medical and nursing students.
• Limited studies compare student self-assessments with objective observations of interprofessional collaborative care (IPCC) skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare allied health students' self-assessment of their team's IPCC skills with an independent observer's perception.
• To evaluate IPCC skills during a simulated discharge planning event.
• To identify potential improvements in interprofessional simulation design.

Main Methods:

• 177 allied health students (Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant) participated.
• Students self-assessed their team's IPCC skills post-simulation.
• An independent observer used a validated tool based on IPEC Core Competencies to assess IPCC skills.

Main Results:

• Students' self-assessments of IPCC skills were significantly higher than observer ratings.
• The observer noted enhanced interprofessional collaboration during a team huddle without standardized patients.
• Discrepancies highlight potential biases in self-assessment of collaborative behaviors.

Conclusions:

• IPE program evaluation should incorporate direct observation of interprofessional skills.
• Interprofessional simulation may benefit from structured team huddles before patient interaction.
• Further research is needed to understand self-assessment accuracy in interprofessional contexts.