Insights of undergraduate health sciences students about a French interprofessional training initiative.

BACKGROUND: Incorporating interprofessional collaboration within healthcare is critical to delivery of patient-centered care. Interprofessional Education (IPE) programs are key to promoting such collaboration. The 'Public Health Service' (PHS) in France is a mandatory IPE initiative that embodies this collaborative spirit, bringing together students from varied health undergraduate training programs-nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, midwifery, and medicine- in a common training program focused on primary prevention. The aim of the study was to assess the experience and attitudes of students in the five health training programs regarding the interest of IPEs in the PHS. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 823 students from the 2022-2023 cohort at a French university. The questionnaire was designed with 12 Likert-scale questions specifically created to evaluate the students' experiences, knowledge, and attitudes focused on IPE during the practical seminars, school interventions, and the overall PHS. Additionally, an open-ended question was utilized to gather qualitative data. Statistical analyses assessed satisfaction levels across undergraduate training programs, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative responses. RESULTS: Within the surveyed cohort, 344 students responded to the survey. The findings showed that students were satisfied with the interprofessional collaboration, both in practical teaching sessions (75% satisfaction) and in primary prevention projects conducted in schools (70% satisfaction), despite their having faced challenges with coordination. Pharmacy students, in particular, highlighted the need for adjustments in program scheduling. The qualitative feedback underscored the positive value of IPE, notwithstanding the organizational difficulties stemming from different academic timetables. CONCLUSION: The student feedback indicated a high level of satisfaction with the interprofessional work carried out in both the practical teaching and the primary prevention projects. To further enhance the educational impact and address the scheduling complexities, it is recommended that program refinements be made based on student feedback and pedagogical best practices.

Evaluation of a French health action-training program by its stakeholders; healthcare students and host institution.

BACKGROUND: Mandatory "sanitary service" is an inter-disciplinary health promotion program that ensures inclusion of action training in the curriculum of French students in healthcare professions. Its evaluation is important to identify areas for improvement. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to evaluate the satisfaction of the actors with the general perception of the program and with its three different phases: e-learning, practical training, and interventions. DESIGN: Retrospective, single-center study based on two self-report questionnaires completed by students and host institutions in 2021-2022. PARTICIPANTS: Students in healthcare (medicine, pharmacy, odontology, midwifery, physical therapy and nursing) from a French university. METHODS: We calculated and compared scores based on closed-ended questions exploring several dimensions of the program (general perception of the sanitary service, and its three phases). RESULTS: Among the 732 students surveyed, 418 were included (57.1 %), while among 99 host institutions surveyed (including 86 schools), 77 were included (77.8 %). The overall sanitary service student satisfaction score was 3.26 / 5 (SD = 0.96). Interventions were the best scored of the three phases of the program (3.92 / 5 (SD = 0.87)). E-learning and practical training scores varied significantly according to students' training courses (p < 0.001). Students who intervened in elementary schools (n = 253) most appreciated the interventions (4.11 / 5 (SD = 0.84)). In free comments, students emphasized that interdisciplinarity was appreciated even if it made organization more complex. The overall host institution score was 3.73 / 4 (SD = 0.25). All the heads of institutions expressed their wish to resume the sanitary service the following year. CONCLUSIONS: The actors of the sanitary service validated the interest, quality, organization, and feasibility of an inter-field training program in health prevention for healthcare students.