The road to collaboration: The transformative effects of interprofessional education on students' interprofessional attitudes and readiness, socialisation and valuing in medical and nursing students

Abstract

Aim

This study aims to evaluate the impact of interprofessional education on first-year medical and nursing students' attitudes, readiness to learn and interprofessional socialization using a randomized controlled trial.

Background

Interprofessional collaboration is crucial in healthcare to enhance patient safety and outcomes. Interprofessional education (IPE) promotes teamwork, communication and understanding of professional roles among healthcare professionals.

Design

The study was conducted using a randomized controlled pretest-posttest experimental design.

Methods

The randomized controlled trial was conducted from January to June 2024 at Atatürk University’s Faculties of Medicine and Nursing. The sample consisted of 120 first-year students, randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the "Sociodemographic Information Form,” "Interprofessional Attitude Scale," "Interprofessional Learning Readiness Scale," and "Interprofessional Socialisation and Valuing Scale." The experimental group participated in 16 hours of interprofessional education over four weeks, including simulated patient applications, role-play and group work. The control group continued with standard education without interprofessional training.

Results

Interprofessional education resulted in significant improvement in students' interprofessional attitudes, particularly among nursing students, whose scores changed positively compared with the control group. Additionally, interprofessional socialization and valuing levels improved significantly in the experimental group. However, no substantial change was observed in the readiness for interprofessional learning in the experimental or control groups.

Conclusions

Interprofessional education had a positive impact on the attitudes and socialization of medical and nursing students, highlighting the importance of incorporating IPE into healthcare curricula to foster collaboration and improve patient care.