International consensus statement on the assessment of interprofessional learning outcomes

Abstract

Regulatory frameworks around the world mandate that health and social care professional education programs graduate practitioners who have the competence and capability to practice effectively in interprofessional collaborative teams. Academic institutions are responding by offering interprofessional education (IPE); however, there is as yet no consensus regarding optimal strategies for the assessment of interprofessional learning (IPL). The Program Committee for the 17th Ottawa Conference in Perth, Australia in March, 2016, invited IPE champions to debate and discuss the current status of the assessment of IPL. A draft statement from this workshop was further discussed at the global All Together Better Health VIII conference in Oxford, UK in September, 2016. The outcomes of these deliberations and a final round of electronic consultation informed the work of a core group of international IPE leaders to develop this document. The consensus statement we present here is the result of the synthesized views of experts and global colleagues. It outlines the challenges and difficulties but endorses a set of desired learning outcome categories and methods of assessment that can be adapted to individual contexts and resources. The points of consensus focus on pre-qualification (pre-licensure) health professional students but may be transferable into post-qualification arenas.

Development and validation of the Griffith University Affective Learning Scale (GUALS): A tool for assessing affective learning in health professional students’ reflective journals

“…While recognition of the importance of affective learning is growing, especially in relation to the acquisition of professional and interprofessional values (Brown, Ferrill, Hinton, & Shek, 2001;Buissink-Smith, Mann, & Shephard, 2011;Einhellig, Hummel, & Gryskiewicz, 2015;Rogers, Thistlethwaite, et al, 2017), assessment within this domain has been challenging, due mainly to a dearth of validated and reliable tools. We recently published a method, informed by IPA and mapped to Krathwohl's levels, for the assessment of affective learning in the journals of learners who have participated in emotionally-impactive learning experiences (Rogers, Mey & Chan, 2017).…”

The Benefits and Challenges of Interprofessional Education Assessment for Health Care Professionals

“…[12]. This situation is largely attributable to the complex and multifaceted nature of the health care system.…”

“…Assessments of individual competency are still predominant in health care, especially for assessments of pre-licensure health care professional students for certification purposes [12]. Many professional accreditation agencies have mandates only regarding their own profession and require students to be assessed by members from that profession [12].…”

“…Many professional accreditation agencies have mandates only regarding their own profession and require students to be assessed by members from that profession [12]. With the development of IPE, it is necessary to transform the assessment approach from the traditional individual-based pattern and to develop new techniques focusing on the collaborative performance both of individuals and of the whole team.…”

The benefits of integrating dental and dental therapy and hygiene students in undergraduate curricula

“…7 In the dental professions, however, implementation of IPE at undergraduate level is inconsistent, and evidence to describe its efficacy is lacking. 5,8 Given the overlapping scope of practice of Dentists and Dental Therapists and Hygienists, there is opportunity to provide fully integrated programmes for both groups of students. This approach aims to ensure both the robustness of scientific content and the benefits of IPE to collaborative practice.…”