SHAPED - Swiss Health Alliance for Interprofessional Education: A project report on the student-led development and...

Internationally, healthcare students call for more interprofessional education (IPE) and in Switzerland some of them formed the Swiss Health Alliance for Interprofessional Education (SHAPED, [https://www.shaped-ip.ch/]). As a students' and young professionals' association, SHAPED has developed multiple participatory, realistic, and enjoyable interprofessional (IP) learning activities. This project report describes the development as well as the implementation of these IP learning activities, initially in the extra-, and more recently also in the intracurricular setting. Additionally, it evaluates their benefits to students.

From 2020 to 2024, more than 2,000 students stemming from ten different healthcare professions participated in IP learning activities developed by SHAPED. Quantitative analysis using the Students Perception of Interprofessional Clinical Education Revised (SPICE-R) instrument showed a significant increase in students' perception of IPE pre-to-post participation, with a medium effect size (t(540)=-13.4, p<.001, d=0.574). This increase in perception was similar for both, the intra- and extracurricular setting.Qualitative analysis confirmed that while refinement of format and content was sometimes indicated, most of the participants appreciated the interactive nature of SHAPED's activities and enjoyed learning new aspects about the roles and responsibilities of other healthcare professions.

SHAPED is an exemplary project showcasing how the student-led development and implementation of IP learning activities can overcome many barriers faced by IPE-inclined faculty and why it should thus be considered as a valid alternative to advance IPE everywhere.