Perceived Interprofessional Learning Readiness in Healthcare Profession: A Cross-sectional Study

Authors

Shashidhara YN, Professor and Head, Department of Community Health Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
Siva N, Senior Research Fellow ICMR, Department of Child Health Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Follow
Elissa Ladd, Professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions, School of Nursing, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston
Selvam Ramachandran, Department of Physiotherapy, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi Dist, Karnataka - 576104.
Baby S Nayak, Professor, Head, Department of Child Health Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Manipal
Binil Velayudhan, Additional Professor, Department of Mental Health Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India

Abstract

Introduction: Interprofessional education has gained considerable attention as a practical approach to enhancing collaborative and patient-centered care in healthcare. To effectively prepare future healthcare professionals for successful interprofessional collaboration, assessing their readiness and identifying improvement areas is essential. This research aims to investigate the readiness of health profession students for interprofessional learning.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among health profession students from multiple disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. The demographic proforma and standardized Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) were used in the study to collect the data. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The questionnaire was administered to 286 students. Most students (72%) were female, 35.3% were from medicine, 29.4% were from nursing, 16.8% were physiotherapy students, 10.5% were from occupational therapy, and 8% were from pharmacy. The majority (86.3%) of health profession students had never been exposed to the principles of interprofessional education and practice. The overall willingness to work collaboratively and respect the other professions was reported in nursing 73.9 (7.19), physiotherapy 73.1 (5.19), medicine 69.6 (8.64), pharmacy 73.6 (4.2), and occupational therapy 73.1 (4.4). There was a significant mean difference among the healthcare professions in readiness for interprofessional learning. This was tested using a one-way ANOVA and demonstrated a substantial difference between the healthcare professions F (1,285) 5.18, p < .001, with partial eta ηp2 = .166.

Conclusion: The study reveals that students from various healthcare professions demonstrated readiness toward interprofessional education. The results of this study shed light on the current state of interprofessional readiness among health profession students and offer effective intervention strategies for enhancing their preparedness in a diverse and evolving healthcare landscape.

Recommended Citation

YN, Shashidhara; N, Siva; Ladd, Elissa; Ramachandran, Selvam; Nayak, Baby S; and Velayudhan, Binil (2024) "Perceived Interprofessional Learning Readiness in Healthcare Profession: A Cross-sectional Study," Health Professions Education: Vol. 10: Iss. 3, Article 9.
DOI: 10.55890/2452-3011.1290
Available at: https://hpe.researchcommons.org/journal/vol10/iss3/9