Interprofessional education (IPE) in medical radiation science: A scoping review

Interprofessional education (IPE) in medical radiation education is designed to enhance both student and longer-term patient outcomes. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the available evidence and examine the effectiveness of IPE strategies used to enhance the development of medical radiation science (MRS) students.

Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Emcare were searched for articles which employed an experimental study design to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of IPE for MRS students. Two reviewers screened and extracted relevant data independently. Critical appraisal was conducted using the JBI critical appraisal tool.

Eighteen studies were included in this review. Diverse approaches to IPE were discovered, particularly in terms of the method of delivery, setting and duration of interventions. MRS students interact with many professions, particularly medical doctors and nurses. All studies which employed a control arm demonstrated statistically positive findings favoring IPE intervention(s). In pre-post studies, most IPE interventions reported significant positive differences after IPE was implemented. This entailed an enhanced perceived knowledge and understanding of other professions, and ability to undertake their role in the team.

IPE was shown to be effective in enhancing students' perceptions and attitudes and to a limited extent, improve knowledge acquisition. Future research should assess long-term effects and patient-related outcomes.

IPE in a variety of formats demonstrates positive results for MRS students; however, interventions which are longer-term, conducted in small groups, and performed earlier in the educational pathway, may demonstrate greater effectiveness.