A Mixed Methods Exploration of Values and Attitudes of Healthcare Students towards Interprofessional Education involving an Inpatient in an Acute Hospital Setting

Abstract

Abstract Background Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other. Involving an inpatient in IPE in an acute hospital setting with patient-centred education may encourage movement between individual communities of practice, improving navigation of the broader clinical landscape of practice. Methods Four pilot workshops involving inpatients in an acute hospital occurred. Nine students from later years of their programmes were selected for each workshop by purposive sampling, three each from medicine, nursing and physiotherapy. Each workshop involved three subgroups of mixed disciplines with final full group discussion resulting in documentation of an overall picture of the patient, their clinical care to date and future clinical plan. One subgroup interacted directly with the patient. The other groups accessed relevant hospital documentation about the patient and their admission. A concurrent mixed methods research approach was taken. Semi-structured focus groups occurred with each discipline after each workshop, with subsequent analysis using Braun & Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis process. Students completed the validated ‘Interprofessional Socialisation and Valuing Scale’ (ISPV) pre and post intervention. Inferential statistics compared overall scale and subscale scores pre- and post- intervention. Results Three major themes were identified: How are we currently relevant to one another? Who are we in our future professional context and in relation to one another? How do we align our activities and collaborate to develop into practice-ready healthcare professionals? These themes mirror landscapes of practice’s modes of identification of engagement, imagination and alignment, highlighting growth in knowledgeability of the students of the clinical landscape of practice. There was a statistically significant increase in overall interprofessional socialisation levels post-intervention, p < 0.001, with a statistically significant increase in all 3 subscales of the ISPV: Value - p < 0.001; Comfort - p < 0.001; and Ability - p < 0.001. Conclusions Through mixed methods research, the values and attitudes of healthcare students towards IPE involving an inpatient in an acute hospital setting were explored. A statistically significant increase in interprofessional socialisation and valuing was demonstrated. Furthermore, students grew in knowledgeability of the clinical landscape of practice, with inpatient involvement central to this growth.