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Background Interprofessional education (IPE) is being increasingly recognized globally as an essential component of healthcare curricula. Given the limited research on healthcare students’ perceptions of interprofessional learning and collaboration in Saudi Arabia, this quantitative cross-sectional study evaluated the perceptions and attitudes of healthcare students from five colleges (Medicine, Pharmacy, Applied Medical Sciences, Dentistry, and Nursing) across all five years of study toward interprofessional learning and collaboration via the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted at five healthcare colleges at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. A total of 501 students (260 from Medicine, 63 from Pharmacy, 63 from Applied Medical Sciences, 61 from Dentistry, and 54 from Nursing) distributed across years 1–5 completed the validated quantitative questionnaires that used the RIPLS and IEPS. Descriptive statistics, independent t tests, ANOVA with post hoc comparisons, and Pearson’s correlation were employed. Internal consistency was evaluated via Cronbach’s α. Results The RIPLS scores; measuring readiness for interprofessional learning significantly increased across the academic years, transitioning from the first year (M = 2.86) to the fifth year (M = 4.48; p  < 0.001), indicative of increased readiness for interprofessional learning as students progressed. The IEPS scores; measuring perceptions of professional competency and collaboration, peaked during the second and third years but experienced a modest decline in subsequent years ( p  = 0.018), suggesting evolving professional identity perceptions. Gender differences were significant, with junior male students initially reporting higher scores, whereas senior female students demonstrated stronger teamwork orientation ( p  = 0.028). A moderate positive correlation was observed between the RIPLS and IEPS scores ( r  = 0.356, p  < 0.001), indicating that students with greater confidence in their profession showed more willingness to engage in interprofessional learning. Both scales demonstrated excellent reliability (RIPLS α = 0.943, IEPS α = 0.914). Conclusion Healthcare students showed positive attitudes toward interprofessional learning and collaboration, which were influenced by gender and academic progress. The results support the integration of early, sustained, and gender-sensitive interprofessional education within healthcare curricula. Longitudinal and multi-institutional studies preferably using mixed-methods approaches are needed to validate these trends and explore causality.

Background Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential in healthcare to enhance collaboration, communication and teamwork among health professions education students. This review aimed to map out the core competencies health professions education students develop during IPE and identify the positive and negative educational outcomes. Methods A comprehensive search strategy was developed and reported in accordance with the PRISMA ScR guidelines. The search was conducted across five electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO and EBSCO) for peer-reviewed articles published in English within the last 20 years. Data was extracted and core competencies were categorised into four defined areas—roles and responsibilities; interprofessional communication; values for interprofessional practice; teams and teamwork. The frequency of occurrence of each core competency, along with the positive and negative outcomes of IPE were analysed. Mixed methods analysis was used to integrate both qualitative and quantitative data. Results Team and teamwork emerged as the most frequently attained core competency in IPE. The positive impacts of IPE include significant improvements in role clarity, communication skills, and teamwork dynamics. However, negative impacts were also noted, such as logistical challenges and interpersonal issues like power dynamics and communication barriers, which impeded the personal professional growth and professional interactional skill-related benefits of IPE. Additionally, some participants reported feeling overwhelmed by the extra workload required for IPE activities. Conclusion IPE is a valuable component of health professions education, significantly contributing to the development of core competencies necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice. Addressing the challenges and implementing best practices can further enhance the effectiveness of IPE programs, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes. The implications for practice, training of healthcare students and future research are discussed.

In interprofessional learning, students from different professions learn about, from, and with each other so that they can collaborate effectively, deliver high-quality healthcare, and achieve positive health outcomes. This study aimed to explore the readiness of students from four health professions education programs for interprofessional learning. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 339 students. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used. Paired-samples -test and ANOVA test were used to compare the responses of participants. Correlations between dependent and independent variables were explored by Pearson's correlation test. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. The reliability study of the collected data showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's ɑ = 0.819). Results revealed a statistically significant difference between the responses of students from the four programs regarding the \"Roles and Responsibilities\" subscale (p = 0.000). A statistically significant difference between male and female students regarding two statements within the \"Teamwork and Collaboration\" subscale and one statement within the \"Negative Professional Identity\" subscale (p < 0.05) was also detected. The correlation study showed a weak but statistically significant correlation between RIPLS mean scores and the students' study program (p < 0.015). In conclusion, the students showed readiness for IPL as evidenced by their positive perception of the interprofessional learning concepts.

Background The implementation of a bachelor degree in “Interprofessional Health Care” at the University of Heidelberg, Germany has fostered the need to evaluate the impact of this innovative programme. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was developed by Parsell and Bligh (1999) to assess student’s attitudes towards interprofessional education. The RIPLS consists of 19 items and four subscales were identified by McFadyen ( J Interprof Care 19: 595–603, 2005): “teamwork and collaboration”, “negative professional identity”, “positive professional identity” and “roles and responsibilities”. The RIPLS has been translated into a number of languages and used in a variety of different educational settings. A German version of the RIPLS was not available. Aim of the study was the translation of the RIPLS into German and testing of internal consistency. Methods The RIPLS was translated to German according to international guidelines and its psychometric properties were assessed in two online surveys with two different samples a) health care graduates and b) health care students. Descriptive analysis (mean, SD, corrected item-total correlation) of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale – German (RIPLS-D) was performed for item characteristics and Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated for internal consistency of overall and subscales of the RIPLS-D. Results Each sample consisted of 76 datasets. Reliability for the RIPLS-D overall scale was 0.83 in both samples. The subscales displayed internal consistency between 0.42 and 0.88. Corrected item-total correlation showed low values in two subscales in the sample of graduates. Conclusions While the overall RIPLS-D scale is reliable, several subscales showed low values and should be used with caution to measure readiness for interprofessional learning in the German health care context. Internal consistency of the instrument does not seem to be given in health care professionals at different stages of their professional career. In particular the sub-scale “roles and responsibilities” was problematic. For these reasons, the RIPLS-D cannot be recommended for use to assess this concept.

Background Interprofessional education is an effective and well-recognized strategy to teach healthcare students to work together toward common goals. Still, course implementation faces challenges, as it requires a high demand for human resources to facilitate. While peer teaching is well described in the field of medical education, only a few studies have explored the role of student facilitators in interprofessional education facilitation. This study explored the impact of peer versus faculty facilitators on changes in students’ attitudes toward collaborative learning and interprofessional relationships following participation in an interprofessional education program. Methods The authors conducted a pre-post study using a French translation of two subscales from the validated questionnaire “University of West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire” to measure students’ attitudes towards interprofessional relationships and interprofessional learning before and after the course. In March 2023 and March 2024, 256 and 198 students, respectively, from five professions, completed two subscales of the questionnaire before and after the course, with a response rate of 34.1% and 29.2%. Results Across both 2023 and 2024, no significant differences were observed between facilitator groups (peer versus faculty facilitators) at either the pre-test or post-test. In 2023, after the course, students demonstrated a significant improvement in their attitudes towards interprofessional relationships, regardless of facilitator type. This improvement was also statistically significant within specific subgroups: students guided by (1) a faculty facilitator, (2) a combination of a professional and a peer facilitator, and (3) peer facilitators. In 2024, changes in students’ attitudes toward IP relationships were not significant for all students, regardless of the type of facilitator. The results were not significant for the interprofessional learning scale in either 2023 or 2024, for all students as well as within subgroups of facilitators. Conclusion These findings suggest that peer facilitators can be effective as faculty facilitators in supporting interprofessional education. This study supports the engagement of peer facilitators in the context of interprofessional education to address implementation challenges and promote facilitation sustainability.

Background Despite the essential role of interprofessional collaboration in neurology, to improve patient outcomes, targeted research on interprofessional learning (IPL) interventions during neurology clerkships remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impact of a brief interactive IPL workshop on interprofessional identity among medical students. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, neurology clerkship students ( N  = 39) were allocated to either a 90-min interactive IPL workshop or a non-interactive control session. We assessed outcomes by triangulating findings across Extended Professional Identity Scale (EPIS-G) scores, challenges and opportunities perceived by students, and reflective responses on interprofessional identity and applicability. Results On a group level, The IPL intervention group ( n  = 27) demonstrated improvements in all domains of interprofessional identity on the EPIS-G (paired samples t-test, p  < 0.001) which was not observed in the control group ( n  = 10). Communication challenges and resource limitations were primary concerns among students, while information sharing and enhanced patient care emerged as key opportunities. Qualitative analysis highlighted students’ increased commitment to collaboration, openness to teamwork, and recognition of the patient care benefits inherent in collaborative practices. Conclusions An interactive 90-min IPL workshop within a neurology clerkship can initiate medical students’ interprofessional identity formation. Students' insights into relevant challenges and opportunities indicate their basic understanding of the complexity of collaborative practice. This study supports the future integration of IPL specifically within neurology to advance collaborative practice.

Background Since 2011, five educational and healthcare institutions have implemented a short interprofessional education (IPE) course to bring together undergraduates from five disciplines. To meet the logistical challenges of IPE implementation, more specifically, the large number of classrooms needed to gather students together and the need for human resources to guide learning activities, a face-to-face IPE course was redesigned into a blended (online and face-to-face collaborative learning activities) IPE course. In March 2023, 183 medical, 378 nursing, 46 radiologic technology, 69 physiotherapy, and 74 occupational therapy students participated in a one-day IPE blended course to learn interprofessional team functioning and dynamics, role clarification and responsibilities of other professions, and interprofessional communication skills. This study aimed to assess students’ changes in attitudes towards IPE after being involved in a large-scale interprofessional blended learning course. Methods A before-after study was conducted using a French translation of the validated questionnaire “University of West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire” (UWE-IP questionnaire). Students’ attitudes towards interprofessional (IP) relationships and IP learning were measured before and after the course. In March 2023, two hundred fifty-six students from five professions answered two subscales of the UWE-IP questionnaire before and after the course (response rate 34%). Results Students’ attitudes towards IP relationships improved significantly after the course. The score on this subscale (min 8; max 24) changed from 11.18 (SD 2,67) before the course to 10,38 (SD 2,55) after the course, indicating a significant improvement in attitudes towards IP relationships ( p  < 0,001). More specifically, students had more positive attitudes on the item “I have a good understanding of the roles of different health and social care professionals.” and the item “I feel that I am respected by people from other health and social care disciplines.” after the course. A positive change in students’ attitudes towards IP learning was observed, but the results were not significative. Conclusion A face-to-face IPE course redesigned as a blended course helped overcome existing challenges to implementing an IPE course. The results suggest a blended IPE course improves students’ attitudes towards interprofessionality.

With the availability and capabilities of varied technologically enhanced learning activities, the blended learning approach has become increasingly popular in interprofessional education. The combined use of different technologically enhanced learning activities has not been fully examined, particularly to determine the effects of instructional sequences for effective learning outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the instructional sequences of a blended learning approach can improve students' learning outcomes on interprofessional competencies. A randomized controlled study was conducted with 40 interprofessional health care teams. These teams undertook three technologically enhanced learning activities-Web-based instruction (WI), virtual reality (VR), and simulation exercise (SE)-after random assignment to three groups based on three different instructional sequences (WI-VR-SE, WI-SE-VR, and SE-WI-VR). Pretests and posttests were conducted to evaluate the students' learning outcomes on interprofessional competencies. A total of 198 participants from the three groups completed the questionnaires. All three groups reported significant improvement in their levels of self-efficacy (P<.05) and attitudes (P<.001) toward interprofessional team care about 1 month after the interprofessional learning activity. Although no significant difference was found (P=.06) between the WI-VR-SE and WI-SE-VR groups in the self-efficacy posttests, participants in the SE-WI-VR group reported significantly lower (P<.05) posttest scores than those in the WI-SE-VR group. The majority of the participants (137/198, 69.1%) selected the instructional sequence \"WI-VR-SE\" as their top preference. This study shows that the instructional sequence of a blended learning approach can have a significant impact on students' learning outcomes. The learning of concepts from WI followed by problem-solving activity in the SE was found to be a more effective learning sequence than the reverse sequence. We recommend that future studies focus on scaffolding students' learning when planning instructional sequences for technologically enhanced learning activities within blended learning environments.

Background Healthcare professionals in nursing homes face complex care demands and nursing staff shortages. As a result, nursing homes are transforming into home-like personalised facilities that deliver person-centred care. These challenges and changes require an interprofessional learning culture in nursing homes, but there is little understanding of the facilitators that contribute to developing such a culture. This scoping review aims to identify those facilitators. Methods A scoping review was performed in accordance with the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis (2020). The search was carried out in 2020–2021 in seven international databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science). Two researchers independently extracted reported facilitators that contribute to an interprofessional learning culture in nursing homes. Then the researchers inductively clustered the extracted facilitators into categories. Results In total, 5,747 studies were identified. After removing duplicates and screening titles, abstracts and full texts, 13 studies that matched the inclusion criteria were included in this scoping review. We identified 40 facilitators and clustered them into eight categories: (1) shared language, (2) shared goals, (3) clear tasks and responsibilities, (4) learning and sharing knowledge, (5) work approaches, (6) facilitating and supporting change and creativity by the frontline manager, (7) an open attitude, and (8) a safe, respectful and transparent environment. Conclusion We found facilitators that could be used to discuss the current interprofessional learning culture in nursing homes and identify where improvements are required. Further research is needed to discover how to operationalise facilitators that develop an interprofessional learning culture in nursing homes and to gain insights into what works, for whom, to what extent and in what context.

Background Interprofessional education (IPE) is highly recommended in health professions education, but there is still an ongoing discussion regarding when to introduce interprofessional educational activities. The development of students’ professional and interprofessional competence during education is essential for fostering effective collaboration in future healthcare settings. This study explored how health professions students, in connection with their first IPE experience, reflect upon and express interprofessional competencies in relation to future collaborative work. Methods A qualitative design was employed using a reflexive thematic analysis based on first-year students’ reflective writings, written during the first IPE module in a mandatory curriculum. Results Four themes were identified, representing crucial components for effective interprofessional collaboration. These themes are communication as a fundamental factor, professional knowledge as a common foundation, establishing trust within a workgroup, and, finally, navigating hierarchies in the evolving healthcare landscape. The students elaborated on these themes in relation to the context of collaborative work in professional teams, and emphasised the importance of the quality of care and patients’ treatment outcomes. Conclusions This study contributes to the discussion of the value of introducing IPE at an early stage of health professions education. The findings demonstrated that students can elaborate on interprofessional collaboration and patient safety in this early IPE intervention using brief reflective writing as part of an IPE module. With a clear focus on future professional work, the students identified interprofessional competencies as a part of their learning process.