Interprofessional Education in Neurology Intensive Care Unit: Learning Activity for Students Completing Clerkships...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Interprofessional Healthcare
• Acute Care Practice

Background:

• Teaching interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is best achieved through authentic patient care experiences.
• Traditional classroom settings and intensive care unit (ICU) environments present challenges for interprofessional learning due to scheduling and structural constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement an interprofessional education (IPE) activity focused on neurology ICU patients.
• To assess the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) methodologies in an interprofessional student setting.

Main Methods:

• A 2.5-hour IPE activity was designed using neurology ICU patients and TBL, including readiness assessments (iRAT/tRAT).
• Students from diverse health professions (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, PT, etc.) participated in student-led care conferences discussing deidentified patient data.
• The activity was delivered online to 293 students.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated significant learning gains, with team readiness assessment scores (tRAT) averaging 14.9 points higher than individual scores (iRAT).
• Students strongly agreed that the session met educational objectives, with all scores above 4.0 on a 5-point Likert scale.
• 276 students provided reflections on learning through interprofessional collaboration.

Conclusions:

• IPE activities utilizing authentic patient data are valuable for developing collaborative practice skills.
• Students learn to teach, learn from peers, interpret data, and propose care plans in a simulated low-stakes acute care environment.
• This approach facilitates practical experience in interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP).