A single learning activity for large interprofessional group can boost the perception of value of interprofessional education

Abstract

Introduction. The interprofessional education activity consisted in a single 4 hours meeting and it was built on three theoretical pillars: the framework of Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPEC), Kolb’s model of experiential learning, and Vygotsky’s concept of social learning. The objectives of the activity were to enable students to identify the elements of IPEC framework in a healthcare situation and to show awareness of the value of interprofessional collaborative practice.

Materials and methods. The meeting was composed by different phases: introduction and sharing of objectives and methods, followed by two cycles of short lecture, small group activity and large group discussion. At the beginning and at the end of the meeting, a questionnaire with items exploring students’ attitude on interprofessional collaboration was administered. A questionnaire of satisfaction was also administered at the end of the meeting. Eighty-four students at the last year of different degree course of health care professions (nursing, midwifery, psychiatric rehabilitation) joined the meeting.

Results. The pre-post test mean values for the items of the questionnaire of assessment significantly increased for all students. The Cronbach alpha value of the questionnaire was 0.75, indicating an acceptable level of internal reliability. The scores of the satisfaction questionnaire were largely positive.

Conclusion. This study shows that single learning activity for a large interprofessional group can be effective in increasing a positive attitude and provides some data on students' perceptions on interprofessional learning in an Italian context.