Impact of Interprofessional Student Teams at a Remote Area Medical Event in Rural Appalachia

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Rural Health Disparities

Background:

• Interprofessional collaboration education is crucial for expanding healthcare access, particularly in underserved regions.
• A model was developed integrating undergraduate and graduate health profession students into teams for a Remote Area Medical event in rural Appalachia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an interprofessional student team model on patient care experiences.
• To assess changes in students' interprofessional collaboration attitudes and behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Pre- and post-event surveys using the SPICE-R2 and ICCAS-R instruments were administered to student volunteers.
• Quantitative survey data were statistically analyzed, and qualitative data from open-ended responses were thematically coded.
• Patient care interventions were tallied and compared to regional health disparities over four years (2017-2020).

Main Results:

• Significant increases in SPICE-R2 factors (teamwork, outcomes, roles) were observed in 2020 (p < 0.001).
• ICCAS-R composite scores significantly increased in 2019 and 2020 (p < 0.05).
• Over 5,900 health-disparity-focused interventions were completed; qualitative analysis revealed interprofessional competency themes.

Conclusions:

• Experiential interprofessional education positively influences students' collaborative attitudes and skills.
• The interprofessional student team model demonstrates a positive impact on patient care interventions in underserved areas.
• Findings provide insights for educators on leveraging interprofessional education to improve both student competency and patient outcomes.