Towards a global partnership model in interprofessional education for cross-sector problem-solving.

OBJECTIVES: A partnership model in interprofessional education (IPE) is important in promoting a sense of global citizenship while preparing students for cross-sector problem-solving. However, the literature remains scant in providing useful guidance for the development of an IPE programme co-implemented by external partners. In this pioneering study, we describe the processes of forging global partnerships in co-implementing IPE and evaluate the programme in light of the preliminary data available. METHODS: This study is generally quantitative. We collected data from a total of 747 health and social care students from four higher education institutions. We utilized a descriptive narrative format and a quantitative design to present our experiences of running IPE with external partners and performed independent t-tests and analysis of variance to examine pretest and posttest mean differences in students' data. RESULTS: We identified factors in establishing a cross-institutional IPE programme. These factors include complementarity of expertise, mutual benefits, internet connectivity, interactivity of design, and time difference. We found significant pretest-posttest differences in students' readiness for interprofessional learning (teamwork and collaboration, positive professional identity, roles, and responsibilities). We also found a significant decrease in students' social interaction anxiety after the IPE simulation. CONCLUSIONS: The narrative of our experiences described in this manuscript could be considered by higher education institutions seeking to forge meaningful external partnerships in their effort to establish interprofessional global health education.

Uncovering the factors underlying collaboration outcomes in interprofessional education: A preliminary investigation involving healthcare students.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) incorporates healthcare students from various disciplines to learn with, about, and from one another, aiming to foster effective collaboration. However, the factors that promote these collaboration outcomes remain elusive. Recognizing this knowledge gap, this study utilizes self-determination theory applied in a ten-day IPE programme. The study aims are twofold: to clarify the potential influence of personal factors (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and environmental factors (clear goals and technology support) on collaboration outcomes (team goal achievement and team effectiveness) and to examine the effect of the IPE on these outcomes. METHODOLOGY: The study utilized an IPE programme that integrated asynchronous and synchronous learning methods across two institutions in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. This involved 147 students from diverse healthcare disciplines who were enrolled in the IPE programme. A pre- and post-test design was employed to examine programme effects. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors influencing these outcomes, while paired samples t-tests were used to evaluate the effect of the IPE programme on collaboration outcomes. RESULTS: Among the personal factors, a sense of relatedness emerged as an important predictor of team effectiveness and goal achievement. Clear goals and technology support positively influenced collaboration outcomes. A paired samples t-test indicated significant improvements in collaboration outcomes after the IPE simulation. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of designing a large IPE programme that meets basic psychological needs (especially the sense of relatedness) and provides clear goals and adequate technology support in the IPE context. This study is helpful to understand how personal and environmental factors promote the collaboration outcomes in medical education and provide insights for future IPE curriculum development.