INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION IN HEALTH EDUCATION: A MIXED METHODS EVALUATION OF THE JEFFERSON HEALTH MENTORS PROGRAM

Abstract

In recent years the complexity and integrated nature of health care has increased. It has become accepted that the needs of patients are often greater than one single health profession can address and requires collaboration on the part of health care providers (Freeth, 2001). Interprofessional health education (IPHE) is the interactive educational process and cooperation among various health care professions. It is a valuable pedagogical approach for teaching health care students that they cannot work effectively without the use of a team, and is thought to be the first step in the direction of changing health care practice in the clinical setting. Using a two phase mixed methods approach, this dissertation investigated changes in student attitudes and measured interprofessional readiness as a result of a longitudinal interprofessional educational experience at Thomas Jefferson University called Health Mentors. The health care professions included in this program are: medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and pharmacy. Together, these students visit an individual living in the greater Philadelphia, PA region with one or more chronic health conditions four times during the year. Of the five hundred and seventy-six students participating in the Health Mentors program, four hundred and ninety-six completed two surveys in September 2008 and again in April 2009. These were the Interprofessional Education Perception Scale (IEPS) and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) which measured their attitudes and readiness toward interprofessional education. Analysis revealed slight significant differences in the means of the health programs and showed small significant decreases in attitudes and readiness over time. Two focus groups were conducted to better understand the quantitative results. Using grounded theory, the following themes emerged: preparation for future professional experience, personal enjoyment from working with their Mentor, logistical conflicts, unknown roles, and program assignments seen as an `add on' or `busy work'. The results from both the qualitative and quantitative methods indicate that students have a high opinion of the theory of IPHE but find the application difficult in practice.