Impact of an innovative curriculum on medical student preparedness for interprofessional practice

Interprofessional education (IPE), defined by the World Health Organization as a process that “occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other”¹ is well-established as an important contributor to improving collaborative care and patient outcomes. However, strong evidence for specific interventions to foster IPE in the clinical setting is currently lacking. The goals of our curriculum are to expose medical students to the value of IPE and improve their knowledge about and attitudes towards the roles and responsibilities of other non-physician healthcare professionals in a real clinical environment.

Students identified two non-physician healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients they were responsible for, observed them in the clinical environment, and interviewed them. Students completed a pre- and post-curriculum survey including the Nebraska Interprofessional Education Attitudes Scale (NIPEAS). Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare responses and account for paired data. Student ability to correctly identify appropriate collaborators, as determined by the authors, was compared before and after the activity. All rotating students wrote individual and small group reflections during structured debrief sessions, and the session moderator documented highlights of these whole group sessions. Each debrief session was attended by at least four non-physician healthcare professionals who spoke about their roles and answered any questions from the medical students. A constant comparative multi-reviewer process was utilized for qualitative analysis to develop and finalize major themes.

Statistically significant improvements occurred in 9 of 19 NIPEAS items in the post-curriculum survey compared to pre-curriculum. Following the IPE curriculum, students were better able to identify appropriate collaborators in patient care. To explore potential ways to improve patient care and outcomes, the qualitative analysis identified key themes from the debrief sessions following the implementation of the interprofessional education curriculum. These themes included the diversity of expertise, collaborative care, mutual respect, comprehensive or holistic care, and a deeper understanding of roles. Additional themes highlighted the importance of improved communication, an environment conducive to learning, innovation, inclusivity, and the challenges inherent in these processes.