Evaluating Online Interprofessional Education for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: Educator and Learner Experiences | JoVE Visualize

Area of Science:

Health Professions Education
Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
Online Learning Modalities

Background:

Consistent Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) approaches are crucial for health professions staff and students.
Existing training may lack a unified framework, impacting effective teamwork and patient care.
The need for accessible, standardized IPE/IPCP education across diverse health organizations is evident.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and validate the Introductory Interprofessional Education for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPE-4-IPCP) online module.
To assess the module's impact on participants' self-reported confidence, knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to engage in IPE and IPCP.
To establish a shared understanding of interprofessional concepts and behaviors in educational and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

Phase one involved expert panel validation and focus groups with health professions staff and faculty (n=9) to refine module content and application.
Phase two utilized pre- and post-module assessments to measure changes in confidence, knowledge, attitudes towards teamwork, and willingness to engage in IPCP among staff (n=12) and students (n=68).
Statistical analyses, including t-tests and the Interprofessional Socialization Valuing scale, were employed to determine the significance of observed changes.

Main Results:

Focus groups confirmed the module's applicability in educational and clinical training, identifying key themes in content, learner experience, implementation, and patient benefits.
Both staff and students demonstrated pre- to post-module changes in confidence and knowledge.
Health professions students exhibited statistically significant increases in confidence and positive attitudes towards IPE (p<0.001) and willingness to engage in IPCP (Z=-5.026, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

The IPE-4-IPCP online module effectively provides a consistent framework for interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
The module fosters a shared understanding of interprofessional thinking and behaviors among health professions staff and students.
The findings support the use of online modules to enhance interprofessional competencies, particularly among students, leading to improved teamwork and potential patient outcomes.