Interprofessional training ward: impact on students, facilitators, and patients

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Clinical Training

Background:

• Interprofessional Training Wards (IPTWs) are an emerging model for interprofessional (IP) education.
• Evaluating the impact of IPTW placements is crucial for understanding their effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the impact of 3-to-4-week placements on the first Swiss IPTW.
• To evaluate outcomes for students, facilitators, and patients.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods evaluation with pre-post analysis.
• Utilized the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP) and Fragebogen zur Arbeit im Team (FAT) for students and facilitators.
• Assessed patient satisfaction using a self-developed questionnaire. Compared IPTW participants with control-ward participants.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant positive effects were observed for students and facilitators in communication, teamwork, IP relationships, and team development (effect size up to r=0.681).
• IPTW participants showed significantly better outcomes on UWE-IP subscales and FAT compared to control-ward staff.
• Patient satisfaction did not significantly differ between IPTW and control wards.

Conclusions:

• IPTW placements enhance interprofessional teamwork skills among students and facilitators.
• IPTWs maintain high levels of patient satisfaction, validating their role in healthcare education.