Opening the Doors: The Impact of Physiotherapy Students Working with Care Home Residents within Interprofessional Teams.

This paper explores the effectiveness of IPE in social care settings, with a particular focus on Physiotherapy students in care homes. IPE is widely recognised as a crucial element of healthcare education, promoting collaboration among students from various health disciplines to enhance patient outcomes. By examining the complexities of the students’ experiences, the paper also assesses the impact of Physiotherapy students' involvement on resident outcomes. Lastly, it demonstrates how targeted IPE experiences within physiotherapy can inform future educational strategies, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and be applied across diverse contexts beyond care homes.

This paper draws on a wider study investigating the long-term impact of IPE in care home settings. Employing a mixed-method approach, this included surveys and interviews with students, residents, and care home staff. This paper reports on a specific subset of this dataset: 1) qualitative data gathered from 11 interviews conducted with Physiotherapy students, along with their open-ended survey responses, and 2) qualitative data from 5 interviews with care home residents. Thematic analysis of these data was undertaken to gain rich insight into learning experiences of students and care home resident outcomes.

Physiotherapy students reported significant benefits from their IPE experiences within care home settings. Collaborative learning enhanced their teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills. This environment also provided a unique opportunity for the students to gain a broader perspective on their role within the wider health and social care system. Working with residents equipped students with a deeper knowledge of person-centred care, and residents themselves reported lasting benefits to their physical and mental well-being. These experiences challenged students’ preconceived notions about the role of Physiotherapy within care home settings, increasing students' interest in pursuing careers in social care. 

1. Care homes offer invaluable learning environments for physiotherapy students to develop advanced clinical reasoning, problem-solving skills, and a strong foundation in person-centred care. 
2. Collaboration between physiotherapy students and care home residents yields significant long-term benefits including enhanced quality of life, a renewed sense of purpose, and a positive transformation of their home environment.

The findings from this UK-based study are applicable to a wide range of health and social care settings. Implementing an IPE model across various disciplines and contexts can significantly enhance person-centred care and provide students with invaluable opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge that cannot be fully developed in discipline-specific placements.