Utley JJ1, Schack-Dugre J2, Snyder K3
1University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, St. Augustine, United States, 2University of Florida, Department of Physical Therapy, Gainesville, United States, 3University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, College of Rehabilitative Sciences, St. Augustine, United States
Background: Online interprofessional engagement has the potential to elicit changes in post-professional students' attitudes towards interprofessional practice. Existing Research identified a positive correlation with students' attitudes, awareness, and knowledge of interprofessional education and its translation into professional practice. The intention of an interprofessional education focus is to develop practitioners prepared to be members of a collaborative team that emphasizes professionalism, responsibility, accountability, collaboration, communication, and mutual trust, which ultimately results in improved patient outcomes.
Purpose: The focus of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an online educational intervention to change knowledge and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration of post-professional healthcare students.
Methods: The research utilized a quasi-experimental pre/post survey research design surrounding an interprofessional educational intervention. Data collection consisted of a pre/post-test online survey using the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale-21 (ISVS-21) to measure a change in knowledge and attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration. Participants completed the survey prior to and following the educational intervention, which consisted of a series of collaborative interprofessional case studies with resultant individual and/or team assessment artifacts. Participants included post-professional masters and doctoral students who represented seven healthcare professions in a required first-term online introductory interprofessional course. Representative professions included physical therapists, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, nurses, healthcare administrators, health science professionals, and healthcare educators.
Results: The interprofessional educational intervention had a significant effect on knowledge and attitudes of post-professional students (N= 88) enrolled in a first-term introductory course. The ISVS-21 post-test (M=132.2, SD=14.8) illustrated greater knowledge and more positive attitudes as compared to the pre-test (M=113.1, SD=26.9), t(87)= -5.64, p .0005.
Conclusion(s): The interprofessional education intervention utilized in this course was effective in changing knowledge and attitudes towards collaborating on an interprofessional team. Following the intervention, post-professional healthcare students rated their knowledge and attitudes more positively regarding engagement on an interprofessional care team.
Implications: Physical therapists in collaboration with other healthcare professionals can improve their knowledge and attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork using an online delivery modality. The logistical challenges to the implementation of interprofessional curriculum in the academic environment can be mitigated and have positive outcomes toward change. This change in knowledge and attitude is the precursor to behavioral change. The implementation of interprofessional education activities can be readily and effectively inserted into curriculum within an online modality. The implementation of interprofessional curricula will provide opportunities to engage physical therapists with other healthcare professionals, learn from, with, and about each other in a global learning environment.
Keywords: Interprofessional education, Knowledge and attitudes, Collaboration
Funding acknowledgements: None.
Purpose: The focus of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an online educational intervention to change knowledge and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration of post-professional healthcare students.
Methods: The research utilized a quasi-experimental pre/post survey research design surrounding an interprofessional educational intervention. Data collection consisted of a pre/post-test online survey using the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale-21 (ISVS-21) to measure a change in knowledge and attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration. Participants completed the survey prior to and following the educational intervention, which consisted of a series of collaborative interprofessional case studies with resultant individual and/or team assessment artifacts. Participants included post-professional masters and doctoral students who represented seven healthcare professions in a required first-term online introductory interprofessional course. Representative professions included physical therapists, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, nurses, healthcare administrators, health science professionals, and healthcare educators.
Results: The interprofessional educational intervention had a significant effect on knowledge and attitudes of post-professional students (N= 88) enrolled in a first-term introductory course. The ISVS-21 post-test (M=132.2, SD=14.8) illustrated greater knowledge and more positive attitudes as compared to the pre-test (M=113.1, SD=26.9), t(87)= -5.64, p .0005.
Conclusion(s): The interprofessional education intervention utilized in this course was effective in changing knowledge and attitudes towards collaborating on an interprofessional team. Following the intervention, post-professional healthcare students rated their knowledge and attitudes more positively regarding engagement on an interprofessional care team.
Implications: Physical therapists in collaboration with other healthcare professionals can improve their knowledge and attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork using an online delivery modality. The logistical challenges to the implementation of interprofessional curriculum in the academic environment can be mitigated and have positive outcomes toward change. This change in knowledge and attitude is the precursor to behavioral change. The implementation of interprofessional education activities can be readily and effectively inserted into curriculum within an online modality. The implementation of interprofessional curricula will provide opportunities to engage physical therapists with other healthcare professionals, learn from, with, and about each other in a global learning environment.
Keywords: Interprofessional education, Knowledge and attitudes, Collaboration
Funding acknowledgements: None.
Topic: Education; Education: continuing professional development
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
Ethics committee: Internal Review Board (IRB)
Ethics number: IRB # UR-1018-229
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
