Abstract:
Introduction:
Interprofessional Education (IPE) helps develop collaborative skills, enhance patient safety and improve the quality of health care. Readiness for shared learning is directly related to IPE.
Objective:
To analyze Readiness for IPE among students, according to the cycles and courses.
Method:
This cross-sectional, descriptive study adopted a quantitative approach and used the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) via an electronic form. Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests were used to analyze the continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Analyses to ascertain differences between scores for the factors (1) Teamwork and Collaboration (TEC), (2) Professional Identity (IP), (3) Patient-Centered Health Care (ACP), and the overall RIPLS score, used the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare courses and cycles.
Result:
A response rate of 32.6% was attained from a sample of 506 students from the Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Medicine, Nutrition, Dentistry and Occupational Therapy courses of a Brazilian public university. The scores for factors 1, 2 and 3, and the overall RIPLS score did not differ between genders. Pharmacy students reported a lower Readiness for factor 3 (ACP) compared to students in Nursing, Physiotherapy, Medicine, Dentistry and Occupational Therapy (p=0.007). Speech therapy and Nutrition reported lower scores for the same factor compared to Dentistry and Occupational Therapy (p=0.007). Pharmacy students (p=0.004) and medicine students (p=0.016) were less likely to obtain a higher score in factor 1(TEC), while Occupational Therapy students were more likely to report greater Readiness in the same factor (p=0.024). In factor 2 (IP), fifth grade students were less likely to have positive attitudes (p=0.046). It was observed that Occupational Therapy students showed a more favorable attitude towards IPE expressed both in factor 3 (p=0.034) and in the overall score (p=0.027), while students in the Pharmacy course were less likely to report better readiness in factor 3 (p=0.003) and in the overall score (p=0.003).
Conclusion:
Considering the relevance of IPE in the process of redirecting health care training to build comprehensive care and ensure alignment with the Unified Health System, this study aims to reflect on the differences in readiness for IPE between undergraduate courses in health area.
Keywords:
Interprofessional Education; Active Learning; Interprofessional Relations; Higher Education