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

Interprofessional Training Wards (IPTWs) have become a future-oriented, effective form of interprofessional (IP) education. This paper focuses on the quantitative pre-post analysis of a mixed-methods evaluation study to assess the impact of 3-to-4-week placements on the first IPTW in Switzerland on students, facilitators, and patients. Outcomes for students and facilitators were measured using the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP) for communication and teamwork skills as well as attitudes to collaborative learning and working, and the Fragebogen zur Arbeit im Team (FAT) to address team-development. Moreover, patient satisfaction was assessed, using a self-developed questionnaire. 63 students, 31 facilitators and 91 patients placed on the IPTW between 2018 and 2022 were included into the study, along with 71 healthcare professionals and 50 patients of the control-wards. UWE-IP and FAT were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test for pre-post-IPTW comparison and Kruskal-Wallis independent sample test for differences between post-IPTW and post-control. Mann-Whitney U-test was applied to determine differences in patient satisfaction between IPTW and control-ward. Statistically significant positive effects were seen pre-post IPTW for students and facilitators for two subscales of UWE-IP (Communication & Teamwork, and IP Relationship), as well as for FAT, with effect size up to r = 0.681. Control-ward staff scored significantly lower than post-IPTW participants on two UWE-IP subscales (IP Learning, and IP Relationship) and on FAT. Patient satisfaction exhibited non-significant difference across IPTWs and controls. In conclusion, IPTW-placement benefited students' and facilitators' interprofessional teamwork skills, while keeping patient satisfaction high.