BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) is considered to be a necessary step in preparing the healthcare workforce for collaborative patient care. Dysphagia, a complex health condition, requires collaboration between disciplines such as medicine (MED) and speech and language therapy (SLT). Therefore, both disciplines must have a shared understanding of dysphagia management within the context of interprofessional care. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated MED and SLT students’ shared learning about dysphagia management following an IPE workshop. The student experience of IPE was also explored. METHODS: Fifty students participated in one 3-hour classroom-based IPE dysphagia workshop which was appraised through a questionnaire completed immediately before and following the workshop. Within- and Between-Group analysis evaluated change in knowledge about dysphagia management. Comments related to student learning experiences were examined using a qualitative description approach. RESULTS: 98%of students (24 MED; 25 SLT) completed pre- and post-workshop questionnaires. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests indicated statistically significant post-workshop growth in knowledge of symptoms (p < 0.001) and medical conditions (p < 0.001) related to dysphagia. Students reported increased confidence in their ability to identify dysphagia (p < 0.001). Greater understanding of interprofessional roles was observed post-workshop, notably nursing (p < 0.05), pharmacy (p < 0.05), occupational therapy (p < 0.05) and physiotherapy (p < 0.001). While recognised as beneficial to shared learning and appreciation of different discipline perspectives, both cohorts found IPE challenging. CONCLUSIONS: Classroom-based IPE is an appropriate approach for shared learning about complex health conditions which require interprofessional care. Including patient-facing activities would further enhance student learning. While students found IPE challenging, they identified several benefits related to their professional development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.