Is readiness for interprofessional learning maintained until graduation? A longitudinal study of medical students

This study aimed to examine changes in medical students' readiness for interprofessional learning before and after community-based medical education (CBME), and whether these changes are sustained until graduation.

This longitudinal observational study included medical students at T University who participated in CBME during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years. Data were collected as part of routine curriculum evaluation, with written informed consent obtained for research use. Participants were followed prospectively until graduation, with earlier data obtained from interprofessional education (IPE) programs. Readiness for interprofessional learning was assessed using the Japanese version of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). The primary analysis focused on changes before CBME (T5), after CBME (T6), and at graduation (T7). A one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Greenhouse-Geisser correction was conducted, followed by Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons.

Analyses were conducted among participants with complete data at T5-T7 (n = 192). RIPLS scores increased after CBME, peaked at T6, and decreased at graduation. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of time (F_{(1.60, 305.28)} = 31.50, p < .001, ηp² = 0.14). Post hoc analyses showed higher scores at T6 than T5 (p < .001) and lower scores at T7 than T6 (p < .001), with no difference between T5 and T7 (p = .062).

Readiness for interprofessional learning increased after CBME but was not sustained until graduation. Strengthening continuity between undergraduate IPE and postgraduate training may help sustain readiness and support transition to clinical practice.