The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.
SMJ // Article
Original Article
Interprofessional Workshop: An Impactful Approach to Introducing Interprofessional Education to Health Professions Students
Abstract
Objective: Incorporating interprofessional education (IPE) into healthcare education programs is essential for preparing future healthcare professionals to meet the demands of modern healthcare environments. This study evaluated whether a condensed IPE session can produce significant changes in student knowledge and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.Methods: The session comprised a pre-workshop session describing the training requirements and professional role of members of an interprofessional team, and an interactive IPE remote workshop on Zoom. An adapted version of the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale was used to assess changes in students’ knowledge and attitudes after participation in an IPE program. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to assess the changes in responses from pretest to posttest.
Results: There were 458 participants from eight disciplines who completed both the pre- and post-test included in the analysis. In general, there were significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes about interprofessional teammates and collaboration after participation in the IPE session (P <0.001).
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a well-designed IPE session can significantly enhance students’ understanding of interprofessional roles and improve their attitudes toward teamwork and collaboration.
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