Use of an observer-based assessment measuring individual interprofessional competency in a didactic case...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Competency Assessment

Background:

• Current interprofessional education (IPE) assessment tools often lack observer-based methods for evaluating individual student performance within teams.
• There is a need for reliable tools to assess individual competencies in interprofessional settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competency Assessment Tool for Individual Students (ICATIS) for evaluating individual student IPEC competency.
• To assess the feasibility and utility of an observer-based approach in a didactic classroom setting.

Main Methods:

• Five trained observers used the ICATIS to evaluate videos of 115 students (pharmacy, dental, dental hygiene) during an interprofessional case activity.
• Students also completed self-evaluations using the same IPEC competencies.
• Observer ratings (competent, developing, minimal) and student self-evaluations were compared.

Main Results:

• The most frequent observer ratings were "competent" (38%), followed by "developing" (32%) and "minimal" (9%).
• Student self-evaluations were often higher than observer ratings.
• Students generally had positive feedback on the ICATIS evaluations and offered suggestions for improvement.

Conclusions:

• The ICATIS provides an efficient, observer-based method for evaluating individual student interprofessional competency.
• This tool effectively addresses a recognized gap in assessing individual IPEC competencies within interprofessional activities across various health professions programs.