Abstract
Background: Through interprofessional collaboration, learning with, from and about one another, working together and respecting each other’s point of view, the healthcare team can work more efficiently to improve patient health outcomes. Interprofessional education (IPE) is a key intervention known to enhance interprofessional collaboration; however, it has not been popularly applied in Chinese health education, especially in the vocational setting, where IPE has not previously been a part of the curriculum.Compared with undergraduate students, vocational students trained for five years after junior high school or three years after senior high school are still the main human resources for primary healthcare workers in China. However, these vocational health professions students at younger ages face complex cooperative clinical situations directly after graduation but cannot play a meaningful role in healthcare teams. There is a need for vocational healthcare students to receive interprofessional education and improve their team collaboration ability before graduation. Therefore, several professions in a vocational health school were selected for this study, including nursing, midwifery, medical imaging, medical equipment, rehabilitation, and elderly care.
Aim: To develop role-based IPE teaching materials for application to vocational health students in China and to evaluate their feasibility and preliminary effect on interprofessional attitudes, perception of roles, and intended behaviour among Chinese vocational health professions students.
Methods: The research study draws upon the first two phases (development and feasibility/piloting) of the Medical Research Council’s framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. A mixed-methods research design was used, entailing theoretical and systematic literature reviews of evidence-based literature, then modelling, developing and refining the intervention prototype and outcome measures. A usability testing with stakeholders was implemented before the feasibility testing of the refined intervention, which used an exploratory randomised controlled quasi-experimental trial and a process evaluation study to assess the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention.
In the quantitative part of the research, 90 vocational health students were randomly allocated into three groups: an interprofessional role-taking group (intervention group), a role-playing group (comparison group), and a control group using the pure group discussion strategy.
Three valid scales, including the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS), and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competency Self-Assessment Scale, were used to evaluate the quantitative outcomes, consisting of participants’ attitudes toward IPE, perception of professional roles and interprofessional competencies relating to communication and collaboration abilities. These outcomes were measured at three time points: baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1) and three-month follow-up (T2). Focus group interviews were used in the process evaluation of qualitative outcomes.
Results: The IPE programme was scheduled as part of the elective curriculum and delivered successfully. IPE materials were developed and adapted to the Chinese vocational context. Faculty and students found IPE acceptable and expressed their desire to include IPE as part of their vocational education. The pilot outcomes showed that the three IPE strategies had a similar effect on participants’ attitudes toward interprofessional learning, while the role-taking strategy could have a longer-lasting impact. The role-based interventions enhanced participants’ role perceptions and collaborative competencies more than the group discussion strategy.
Conclusion: This study adds new information and insight to a growing literature supporting role-based interprofessional education intervention as a feasible educational option to enhance the interprofessional competencies of vocational health professional students.
Date of Award | 1 Nov 2024 |
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Original language | English |
Awarding Institution |
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Supervisor | Andreas Xyrichis (Supervisor) & Emma Briggs (Supervisor) |