"Integrated, interprofessional education for first year undergraduate medical, physiotherapy and pharmacy students"

The World Health Organisation envisaged the introduction of Interprofessional Education (IPE) as a continuum, beginning early in undergraduate programmes. Positive outcomes have been demonstrated at undergraduate level in relation to learning experiences, skill acquisition and changes in attitudes. IPE is used increasingly at early stages with the aims of developing team working skills and dispelling stereotypes.A formal, compulsory, IPE learning opportunity was introduced for medicine, physiotherapy and pharmacy students. The module (5 ECTS), entitled “Medicines: Concept to Patient”, aimed to explore the multi-faceted nature of healthcare from first principles of drug design through to patient care and begin to appreciate the role of the various healthcare professionals. Aspirin was the integrating strand throughout to provide context. Lectures, integrated clinical cases, quizzes and exercises were delivered. A mixed methods study, controlled before and after study and qualitative evaluation, was undertaken. The students were surveyed at the beginning and end of the module. Third year students had not undertaken IPE and were surveyed to provide the control. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was used to determine if there was evidence of changing attitudes to IPE. The Attitudes of Health Professionals Questionnaire (AHPQ) was used to assess interprofessional attitudes. The study was approved by the Research and Ethics Committee of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.The intervention did not significantly alter the attitudes of the students to IPE or other healthcare professionals. The study did, however, demonstrate that students had a statistically significant appreciation of their future professional roles. Students were generally positive about learning together, recognising that collaboration would be beneficial to the care of patients.IPE may have the potential to improve collaboration amongst healthcare professionals, but further research is required to determine how best to design IPE and when best to deliver it.