Interprofessional attitudes and perceptions: Results from a longitudinal controlled trial of pre-registration health and social care students in Scotland

Abstract

This study made use of a controlled longitudinal design to assess the impact on pre-registration health and social care students of an interprofessional intervention on the attitudes to and perceptions of interprofessional ideals. Evaluation, over four years, of Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Physiotherapy and Radiography students was performed using the adapted versions of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). Baseline samples of the control and experimental groups were 260 and 313 respectively. Support for Interprofessional Education (IPE) appears high but possibly idealistically so initially. Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) models were used to assess intervention effects as well as any possible profession or time effects. The intervention was found to have had a significant effect on five of the measured sub-scales and the professions were found to react in a significantly different way on four of the sub-scales. The inclusion of a control group has confirmed previous findings from other studies but also highlights the possible effects of the general learning and teaching methodologies employed within various professions as well as the need for research into the influence of the timing, duration, style and content of clinical placement periods.

A BEME systematic review of the effects of interprofessional education: BEME Guide No. 39

“…Although whereas as Pollard et al (2006) reported that female students were comparatively positive about IPE in their longitudinal study of undergraduate students attitudes, other studies reported that gender did not have any noticeable effect on the delivery of IPE (Bradley et al 2009;McFadyen et al 2010). In their later study, Pollard & Miers (2008) found that there were no significant differences in scale scores on the basis of gender.…”

“…In contrast, a small number of studies gathered data over a longer period. For example, Pollard et al (2006), Pollard & Miers (2008) and McFadyen et al (2010) collected data over a fouryear period.…”

“…In general, it was reported that learners entered their respective IPE programmes and courses with positive attitudes, which would often diminish after participation in their respective interprofessional learning activities. Although, as McFadyen et al (2010) report from their longitudinal controlled study, "pre-registration health and social care students commence their pre-registration education with strong positive views supporting the principles behind IPE. They also confirm that these levels may however initially be rather idealistic" (p562).…”

“…Learner age was another factor considered to be influential on IPE for undergraduate students (e.g. McFadyen et al 2010) with younger students being, in the main, more positive about their interprofessional relationships. However, despite their more negative views, Pollard & Miers (2008) reported that the older students played a more active role than younger members, with the oldest students being most participative.…”

Influencing Student Attitudes Through a Student-Directed Interprofessional Learning Activity: A pilot study

“…In contrast to McFayden et al, Wakely, Brown, and Burrows (2013) found significant positive changes for three of the sub-scales (teamwork and collaboration, positive identity and negative identity) but no change for the roles and responsibilities sub-scale. Student participation in both these IPL studies was mandatory, however one took place in the clinical setting ( Wakely, Brown, and Burrows 2013) whereas the other was classroom-based (McFadyen et al 2010). Differences in context may therefore influence the effect of an educational intervention on RIPLS.…”