Physiotherapy students’ attitudes toward interprofessional education at program entry and completion: a three-year cohort

Abstract

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial in preparing health professional students for future interprofessional collaborations, shown to improve patient outcomes and safety. However, traditional IPE delivery transitioned into online and hybrid options during the pandemic.

Purpose: To compare interprofessional collaboration readiness from program entry to graduation in entry-level, Master of Science physiotherapy (PT) students, during the pandemic years.

Method: Two cohorts were included for this report: PT students enrolled from 2019 to 2021 and 2020 to 2022 which both experienced pandemic-related classroom disruptions. Students were invited to complete the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) at program entry and completion. Changes to RIPLS scores were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Somer’s D (D) for effect sizes. STATA 17.0 B/E was used for data analysis and p-values <0.05 were statistically significant.

Results: A total of 47 students responded (mean age (SD) of 24.62 (0.79) years;26 (55%) females). There were statistically significant changes in PT students’ RIPLS scores between program entry and completion. Total RIPLS scores increased from 71 to 79 (p<0.001, D=0.35). Two subscales also improved: teamwork and collaboration (36 to 40; p<0.001, D=0.55), and positive professional identity (14 to 16; p<0.001, D=0.68).

Conclusions: Across two cohorts, PT students’ improved RIPLS total and two subscale scores improved, demonstrating overall improved IPE readiness and attitudes for interprofessional collaboration, even when experiencing pandemic disruptions.

Implications: IPE is a crucial program opportunity: it fosters positive attitudes toward collaborative practices, facilitating high quality, patient-centered care. From this report, the IPE curriculum in the PT program yielded improved IPE readiness, demonstrating that a non-conventional approach to IPE is still impactful, a potential carry-forward benefit from this situational solution to increase flexibility and engagement from students.