Evaluating Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration and Education Among Health Professional Learners

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Evaluating Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration and Education Among Health Professional Learners Lisa W. Christian 1

&

Zoha Hassan 2 & Andrew Shure 2 & Kush Joshi 2 & Elaine Lillie 3 & Kevin Fung 4

# International Association of Medical Science Educators 2020

Abstract Background An interprofessional education (IPE) workshop was established to enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes for health professional learners to engage in interprofessional collaboration (IPC) through group-based activities. This study evaluates the IPC attitudes of learners following the IPE workshop. Method Learner attitudes were measured pre- and post-workshop with the validated ICCAS survey for years 2017 and 2018. Areas such as communication and collaboration were assessed using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Results 161/420 (38%) and 399/446 (89%) of surveys were completed in 2017 and 2018. Median scores were significantly higher post-workshop for both years (p < 0.001). Pre-test differences were observed between Medicine and Pharmacy in both years and post-test differences between Optometry and Nursing in 2018. Conclusion Positive outcomes are being observed among learners through IPC educational events. Further research is required to determine whether such activities promote IPC in future practice. Keywords Interprofessional education . Interprofessional collaboration . Family health team . Primary healthcare . Healthcare learners

Introduction Healthcare in Canada is constantly evolving, as providers continue to improve ways to deliver care for patients. Evidence supports that interprofessional collaboration (IPC) among health professionals is the preferred means to providing the most comprehensive patient care [1, 2] by encouraging the integration of health care services. In addition to quality of patient care, IPC has also shown positive impact on * Lisa W. Christian [email protected] 1

School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1, Canada

2

Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada

3

School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 10 Victoria Street South, Kitchener, ON N2G 1C5, Canada

4

Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Western University, 800 Commissioners Road E, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada

professional practice, and health care outcomes [3, 4]. IPC health care teams are those that exhibit elements of partnership, trust, respect, and shared decision making. To encourage IPC teams in professional practice, literature suggests interprofessional education (IPE) should be integrated within a healthcare curriculum [5]. More specifically, the World Health Organization states IPE occurs best when “learners from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” [6]. Globally, policymakers, educators, healthcare professionals