A Consensus Approach to Investigate Undergraduate Pharmacy Students’ Experience of Interprofessional Education

Abstract

Objective. To assess the development of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for collaborative practice among first-year pharmacy students following completion of interprofessional education. Methods. A mixed-methods strategy was employed to detect student self-reported change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Validated survey tools were used to assess student perception and attitudes. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to capture student reflections and provide peer discussion on the individual IPE sessions. Results. The validated survey tools did not detect any change in students' attitudes and perceptions. The NGT succeeded in providing a milieu for participating students to reflect on their IPE experiences. The peer review process allowed students to compare their initial perceptions and reactions and renew their reflections on the learning experience. Conclusion. The NGT process has provided the opportunity to assess the student experience through the reflective process that was enriched via peer discussion. Students have demonstrated more positive attitudes and behaviors toward interprofessional working through IPE.

Interprofessional education between dentistry and pharmacy students: delivery, barriers and facilitating implementation

“…19 Learning with, from and about each other promotes the effective function of a health care team. 20…”

“…These themes are not entirely discipline-specific but were particularly noted within the two professions in the IPE literature. 1,[4][5][6]12,14,16,17,20,21,[24][25][26][27]29,33,[39][40][41][42][43] Developing a national network, such as the European Interprofessional…”

The Evolving Role of the Pharmacist in Interprofessional Practice

“…IPE is defined by the World Health Organization as "occurring when two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes" [8]. Pharmacy schools across the nation are beginning to integrate various interprofessional active learning experiences to challenge their students to practice collaboration and apply the concepts learned in their traditional didactic classes [9]. Specifically in North Carolina, all pharmacy schools' didactic coursework includes integrated pharmaceutical and clinical sciences, as well as immersion in direct patient care to prepare students for a future as a clinical practitioner.…”

Health Science Students’ Readiness for Interprofessional Education and Affecting Factors

“…Students' readiness for IPE and individual, environmental, educational, and sociocultural factors affecting it should be determined so that educators can consider the students' needs while preparing curricula and raise their awareness. There are numerous studies on health science students' readiness for IPE [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] . Zorek et al (2014) conducted a descriptive study to develop interprofessional readiness measurement tools 29 .…”

“…Mafinejad Ahmady, Arabshahi and Bigdeli (2013) and Milutinovic, Lovric and Simin (2018) reported that students' readiness for IPE differed by age, gender, and grade level 2,30 . Although previous studies have determined how readiness for IPE differs across health science student populations, those included only a limited group of students in the samples [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] .…”