The Association of Readiness for Interprofessional Learning with empathy, motivation and professional identity development in medical students

Abstract

BackgroundThe Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale is among the first scales developed for measurement of attitude towards interprofessional learning (IPL). However, the conceptual framework of the RIPLS still lacks clarity. We investigated the association of the RIPLS with professional identity, empathy and motivation, with the intention of relating RIPLS to other well-known concepts in healthcare education, in an attempt to clarify the concept of readiness.MethodsReadiness for interprofessional learning, professional identity development, empathy and motivation of students for medical school, were measured in all 6 years of the medical curriculum. The association of professional identity development, empathy and motivation with readiness was analyzed using linear regression.ResultsEmpathy and motivation significantly explained the variance in RIPLS subscale Teamwork & Collaboration. Gender and belonging to the first study year had a unique positive contribution in explaining the variance of the RIPLS subscales Positive and Negative Professional Identity, whereas motivation had no contribution. More compassionate care, as an affective component of empathy, seemed to diminish readiness for IPL. Professional Identity, measured as affirmation or denial of the identification with a professional group, had no contribution in the explanation of the variance in readiness.ConclusionsThe RIPLS is a suboptimal instrument, which does not clarify the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of IPL in a curriculum. This study suggests that students’ readiness for IPE may benefit from a combination with the cognitive component of empathy (‘Perspective taking’) and elements in the curriculum that promote autonomous motivation.

A Systematic Meta‐Analysis of the Effect of Interprofessional Education on Health Professions Students’ Attitudes

“…Students in health care professions such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy gain expertise and skills that are important to performing their work, but one study found they were not sufficiently prepared to engage in teamwork in the form of interprofessional collaboration 4 . Interprofessional education (IPE) has been defined as occasions when individuals from two or more health professions “learn with, from, and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care.” 5 IPE was introduced to allow students from different health care professions to overcome barriers and preconceptions that exist among various health care groups in order to develop and improve teamwork and communication 4 , 6 . Many colleges and schools are seeking the best methods of providing IPE to their students to achieve learning outcomes, influence student perceptions, and change student behavior 7 , 8 .…”

“…5 IPE was introduced to allow students from different health care professions to overcome barriers and preconceptions that exist among various health care groups in order to develop and improve teamwork and communication. 4,6 Many colleges and schools are seeking the best methods of providing IPE to their students to achieve learning outcomes, influence student perceptions, and change student behavior. 7,8 To evaluate the effectiveness of these activities, the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) was developed to measure changes in self-reported competence in interprofessional care in IPE programs.…”

“…[11][12][13][14] In these teaching activities, it is very important to engage students in IPE and influence their attitudes towards this method because negative attitudes can hinder learning via IPE. 6 Tools such as the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) 15 and the extended version, 16 the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS), 17 have been used to evaluate attitudes about interprofessionalism. These scales generally include four or five dimensions, with items for response on a five-point Likert scale from 1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree.…”

New strategy in education of health professionals in Serbia: Analysis of students’ readiness for inter-professional education

“…Despite being internationally recognized as an important educational strategy, the integration of IPE into the standard curriculum remains a significant challenge [5]. Numerous barriers in implementation and achievement of positive IPE outcomes are described in the literature, and students' baseline attitudes such as stereotyping and prejudice are often cited as the biggest barrier of all [6][7][8]. Negative students' attitudes can be a major barrier in the learning process, and it is important to know the concept of "the readiness for IPE", that is, to assess students' attitudes towards IPE because it underlies the essence of accepting this educational strategy [8].…”

“…Numerous barriers in implementation and achievement of positive IPE outcomes are described in the literature, and students' baseline attitudes such as stereotyping and prejudice are often cited as the biggest barrier of all [6][7][8]. Negative students' attitudes can be a major barrier in the learning process, and it is important to know the concept of "the readiness for IPE", that is, to assess students' attitudes towards IPE because it underlies the essence of accepting this educational strategy [8]. The implementation of IPE requires a rigorous assessment that must start at the very beginning of curriculum development process [9,10].…”