Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Among Dental and Healthcare Students in a Geriatric Education Module: A...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professions Education
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for preparing healthcare students for collaborative, patient-centered care.
• Geriatric care settings provide an ideal environment for interprofessional learning due to their multidisciplinary nature.
• Assessing student readiness for IPE is essential for designing effective educational interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the readiness for interprofessional learning among undergraduate healthcare students participating in a geriatric interprofessional education program (GIEP) workshop.
• To assess changes in students' attitudes towards teamwork, professional identity, and roles and responsibilities following the GIEP workshop.

Main Methods:

• A pre- and post-intervention study design was employed.
• Undergraduate students from medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and allied health sciences participated.
• The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was administered, with data analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test.

Main Results:

• A slight, non-significant decrease in mean total RIPLS scores was observed post-workshop (72.91 to 71.19).
• No statistically significant changes were found in most RIPLS domains, except for 'roles and responsibility'.
• Students demonstrated high baseline readiness, indicating positive attitudes towards teamwork and collaboration.

Conclusions:

• The GIEP workshop reinforced interprofessional values despite not yielding statistically significant improvements in readiness.
• High baseline readiness suggests students are receptive to interprofessional learning.
• Long-term, integrated IPE initiatives are recommended to foster and sustain collaborative competencies in healthcare students.