Does PBL deliver constructive collaboration for students in interprofessional tutorial groups?

Abstract

Background Training health professional students in teamwork is recognized as an important step to create interprofessional collaboration in the clinical workplace. Interprofessional problem-based learning (PBL) is one learning approach that has been proposed to provide students with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to work collaboratively with various health professionals. This study aimed to explore the extent to which students in interprofessional tutorial groups demonstrate constructive collaboration during group discussions. Methods Students (N = 52) from the Medical, Midwifery and Nursing programmes took part in the study. Video-recordings were made of interprofessional PBL discussions (N = 40) in five groups, eight videos per group. Over a period of 4 weeks, participants discussed four scenarios concerned with the reproductive system. The resulting 67 h of video data were analysed qualitatively. To ensure inter-rater reliability, two tutors assessed the students’ constructive, collaborative activities using the Maastricht Peer-Activity Rating Scale (MPARS). Finally, to gain an understanding of students’ perceptions of their performance and participation in the interprofessional PBL tutorial, we organized three uni-professional focus groups (FGs) at the end of pilot project. Results The translated MPARS was reliable (Kappa coefficient 0.01–0.20 and p < 0.05). Students were actively involved in the discussion and contributed to a better understanding regardless of their professional background. Group members from different professions complemented one another in solving learning issues. They were open, feeling free to question and argue from the viewpoint of their own profession, and also understood their strengths and limitations. The statistical test of the scores for constructive and collaborative activities indicated a significant difference between students and the various healthcare professionals, p = 0.000, with medical students scoring highest on both activities. Focus groups further clarified some of the observed dynamics. Conclusion Implementing interprofessional PBL could motivate students to engage collaboratively in co-constructing knowledge to solve the patients’ problem. Medical students scored highest on constructive and collaborative activities.

<p>Stimulating Students’ Interprofessional Teamwork Skills Through Community-Based Education: A Mixed Methods Evaluation</p>

“…12 However, IPE formats situated in the classroom alone seem not always sufficient to develop some of the skills needed for collaborative health care. [13][14][15] Consequently, the scope of IPE initiatives needs to be broadened. 16 Several authors advocate for experiential IPE situated in practice-based settings.…”

Authentic Learning: A Concept Analysis

“…The AL approach is interactive because learners collaboratively exchange acquired knowledge and skills through meaningful active participation. It is integrative as learners engage in interdisciplinary co-constructions of knowledge, at the same time improving the knowledge of their own disciplines; this affords them opportunities to solve complex problems using varied disciplinary knowledge (Lestari, Stalmeijer, Widyandana, & Scherpbier, 2019). It is constructive since a community of learners actively create their own knowledge through engaging willingly with others in social and practical learning environments.…”

How interprofessional education could benefit the future of healthcare – medical students’ perspective

“…Although PBL presents many advantages, Lestari et al acknowledge some drawbacks, such as national cultures resulting in non-medical healthcare students lacking self-confidence in sharing opinions amongst fellow medical students – this requires addressing [ 1 ]. Even though this issue predominantly lies in Asian cultures, the issue of hierarchy still exists within Western healthcare systems [ 7 ] – we are in agreement with Lestari et al that other forms of IPE need to be delivered in aiding interprofessional PBL [ 1 ].…”

“…Not only does this allow different professions to enhance their critical thinking and debating skills, but subsides the supposed hierarchy that medical students may inherit; a ward-based environment naturally demands further input and mediation from team members due to the reality of having to deal with actual patients. Henceforth, introducing interprofessional ward-rounds into the UK pre-registration healthcare curricula, despite its logistical complexities, could well see a turn from conflict avoidance to resolution and the dissolving of unhealthy hierarchy post-qualification – both of which Lestari et al stated were mismanaged issues during their interprofessional PBL study [ 1 ].…”

“…We would like to thank Lestari E et al for their article, ‘Does PBL deliver constructive collaboration for students in interprofessional tutorial groups?’, which aptly identified the need for integrating interprofessional problem-based learning (PBL) into the curricula for pre-registration health profession programmes, in order to improve interprofessional cohesion within the clinical workspace [ 1 ]. The study demonstrated that interprofessional PBL can drive co-constructive discussions between students from different backgrounds, with a common goal of addressing patient concerns.…”