Examining the effects of interprofessional problem-based clinical ethics: Findings from a mixed methods study

Interprofessional education for healthcare professionals. A BEME realist review of what works, why, for whom and in what circumstances in undergraduate health sciences education: BEME Guide No. 83

AIM

To provide an evidence-informed program theory (PT) for Interprofessional Education (IPE) that adds to the knowledge base of how IPE in undergraduate health sciences education works.

METHODS

We undertook a realist review of the literature and synthesis of the evidence combined with stakeholder experience. Our initial program theory (IPT), built around development, delivery and evaluation of IPE interventions, was tested and refined following an in-depth search of the literature and consultation with stakeholders. The literature (2010-2022) was selected based on the realist criteria of relevance and rigor, as well as on conceptual richness of the studies.

RESULTS

Our PT is built upon 124 CMOs (Context of IPE interventions, Mechanisms that fired within that context, and IPE Outcomes), from 58 studies. Our PT comprises an array of elements found in the Context, including traits and behavioral displays of students and facilitators, and discusses four Mechanisms (feeling responsible, feeling enthusiastic/excited, feeling safe to take risks, and feeling ready), which are likely to lead to outcomes related to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (sub)competencies.

DISCUSSION

Results were linked to learning theories to further build our understanding. The PT can serve as a guide for the development, delivery, and evaluation of IPE interventions.

"Being prevented from providing good care: a conceptual analysis of moral stress among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic"

BACKGROUND

Health care workers (HCWs) are susceptible to moral stress and distress when they are faced with morally challenging situations where it is difficult to act in line with their moral standards. In times of crisis, such as disasters and pandemics, morally challenging situations are more frequent, due to the increased imbalance between patient needs and resources. However, the concepts of moral stress and distress vary and there is unclarity regarding the definitions used in the literature. This study aims to map and analyze the descriptions used by HCWs regarding morally challenging situations (moral stress) and refine a definition through conceptual analysis.

METHODS

Qualitative data were collected in a survey of 16,044 Swedish HCWs who attended a COVID-19 online course in autumn 2020. In total, 643 free-text answers with descriptions of moral stress were analyzed through content analysis.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged from the content analysis (1) "Seeing, but being prevented to act; feeling insufficient/inadequate and constrained in the profession," (2) "Someone or something hindered me; organizational structures as an obstacle," and (3) "The pandemic hindered us; pandemic-related obstacles." The three themes correspond to the main theme, "Being prevented from providing good care."

DISCUSSION

The main theme describes moral stress as various obstacles to providing good care to patients in need and acting upon empathic ability within the professional role. The themes are discussed in relation to established definitions of moral stress and are assessed through conceptual analysis. A definition of moral stress was refined, based on one of the established definitions.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the study results and conceptual analysis, it is argued that the presented definition fulfils certain conditions of adequacy. It is essential to frame the concept of moral stress, which has been defined in different ways in different disciplines, in order to know what we are talking about and move forward in developing prevention measures for the negative outcomes of this phenomenon.

Empathy, emotional intelligence and interprofessional skills in healthcare education

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health professionals maintain the health of citizens through evidence-based medicine and caring. Students enroled in health professional programmes are required to have successfully attained all core learning outcomes by reaching key milestones throughout the course of their studies, demonstrating they have developed the required graduate skills and attributes upon completion of the programme. While some of the knowledge, skills and competencies that make up these learning outcomes are very discipline specific, there are more general professional skills across all disciplines which are difficult to define, such as empathy, emotional intelligence and interprofessional skills. These are at the heart of all health professional programmes that once defined, can be mapped through curricula and further evaluated. Literature will be presented on these three professional skills: empathy, emotional intelligence, and interprofessional skills, based on studies that focussed primarily in health professional programmes and highlight some of the key findings and issues at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The paper will present the need for these skills to be defined and then mapped through curricula so that students are better supported in their professional development. Empathy, emotional intelligence and interprofessional skills transcend the discipline specific skills and as such it is important that all educators consider how best these may be fostered. Efforts should also be made to further the integration of these professional skills within curricula to produce health professionals with an enhanced focus on person-centred care.

Impact of an Interprofessional Education Activity on Student Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Patient Safety

This study aimed to measure the impact of an interprofessional education (IPE) activity on student knowledge and attitudes regarding patient safety. Two 4 h IPE activities were designed to provide students with foundational information regarding patient safety. Interprofessional teams discussed the individual curricula and roles/responsibilities of each represented health profession. Teams then served on a mock committee tasked with completing a root cause analysis of a fictitious sentinel event. Students completed a pre/post-quiz and pre/post-attitudes survey to measure knowledge and attitudes. Five months later, students reconvened to serve on a second mock sentinel event committee. Students completed a post-activity survey after the second activity. Four hundred and seven students participated in the first activity, while two hundred and eighty participated in the second activity. Quiz score comparisons revealed improved knowledge, with post-quiz scores being significantly higher. Pre- and post-attitude survey comparisons indicated a significant improvement in participant attitudes towards interprofessional teamwork. Seventy-eight percent of students reported the IPE activity enhanced their ability to “engage other health professions students in shared patient-centered care”. This IPE activity resulted in knowledge and attitude improvement related to patient safety.

Realist review of interprofessional education for health care students: What works for whom and why

Interprofessional education (IPE) programs, are complex, logistically challenging, and can be expensive to deliver, but these matters are offset by the perceived benefits of IPE. There is little clarity regarding how IPE contributes to the desirable development of collaborative practitioners. To guide educators in the design of IPE programs there is a need to understand the elements that promote optimal learning. A realist review was conducted to identify the mechanisms and resources that contribute to IPE outcomes. Four databases were searched until April 2020 for empirical studies describing mandatory IPE for pre-registration medical, nursing and other health professional students. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Two novel learning design elements were identified; interdependence, where there is a need for genuine contribution of skills and knowledge from the professions learning together to successfully complete tasks, and embodiment, where through being immersed in an authentic scenario, learners feel what it is like to work in their professions. Other observations supported previous research findings such as the importance of skilled facilitators to promote interaction and reflection. Interprofessional interventions incorporating these specific learning design features seem likely to enhance the impact of IPE, thus making the best use of limited institutional resources and student time.

Teaching and learning in interprofessional ethics education: Tutors' perspectives

BACKGROUND

Ethical dilemmas that arise in the clinical setting often require the collaboration of multiple disciplines to be resolved. However, medical and nursing curricula do not prioritize communication among disciplines regarding this issue. A common teaching strategy, problem-based learning, could be used to enhance communication among disciplines. Therefore, a university in southern Taiwan developed an interprofessional ethics education program based on problem-based learning strategies. This study described tutors' experience teaching in this program.

AIM

To explore the phenomenon of teaching and learning in interprofessional ethics education for medical and nursing students from the perspectives of tutors.

DESIGN

Phenomenological qualitative research.

METHODS

Medical and nursing students completed a 6-week interprofessional ethics education program moderated by either physician or nurse tutors. At the conclusion of the ethics education program, all 14 tutors were invited to participate in focus group interviews. Among them, six tutors (three nursing tutors and three physician tutors) participated in additional individual interviews. All of the contents from the focus group interviews and individual interviews were recorded and transcribed. Using the phenomenological approach, the phenomenon of teaching and learning in interprofessional ethics education were generated.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board.

FINDINGS

Three themes emerged from the tutors' teaching perspectives, including the instructor's motivation to teach, the use of narrative case scenarios, and the emphasis on improving interprofessional ethics communication.

DISCUSSION

Problem-based learning creates an interprofessional communication platform in interprofessional ethics education. The phenomenon of value convergence between tutors and students, between different students' professions, and between different students' professional maturities is observed.

CONCLUSION

Problem-based learning is an effective teaching strategy for creating a communication platform for interprofessional ethics education. Ethic curriculum should emphasize motivating instructor, use narrative case scenarios, and focus on interprofessional communication.

Does Online Interprofessional Case-Based Learning Facilitate Collaborative Knowledge Construction?

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic has caused an impact on various sectors of life, including the education sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, education from various levels could only be carried out online by utilizing various on-line media. In Health professional education context, one of the learning activities that must be shifted in online format was interprofessional education (IPE) program. This study aimed to evaluate students' collaborative knowledge construction to evaluate the effectiveness of online interprofessional case-based learning (CBL) activities.

Methods

This interventional study using quantitative and qualitative method involved a total of 476 students; consisted of 204 medical students, 39 midwifery students and 233 nursing students; who took part online interprofessional CBL. All students were divided into 34 mixed profession groups with 14 students each. To evaluate students' collaborative knowledge construction during CBL, data were collected using the Maastricht Peer Activity Rating Scale (MPARS). Qualitative data exploring students' perception regarding online IPE activity and their online CBL process were collected using Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Quantitative data were analysed using statistical tests, and the qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Students' scores for constructive, collaborative, and motivational activities evaluated using MPARS were considered as average to high. However, nursing students scored the lowest compared to the other two fellow professions: medical and midwifery students, on all items of the MPARS. Medical students had the highest MPARS scores. Several themes could be explored during the FGD.

Discussion

This study revealed that students could engage in collaborative knowledge construction in interprofessional education implementing online interprofessional CBL. However, students thought that offline collaborative practice will better improve team bonding which is considered as prominent aspect for collaboration. This thought gives idea to the implementation of hybrid online offline learning for IPE.

Determining a common understanding of interprofessional competencies for pre-registration health professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Delphi study

There is growing awareness that factors such as the growing incidence of co-morbidity and increasing complexity of patient health needs cannot be addressed by health professionals practicing in isolation. Given this, there is an increasing emphasis on preparing students in health-related programs for effective interprofessional practice. Less clear, however, are the specific skills and clinical or learning opportunities necessary for students to develop effectiveness in interprofessional practice. These factors drove a team associated with a tertiary health education provider in Hamilton, New Zealand to transform traditional clinical student experiences in the form of an interprofessional student-assisted clinic. The clinic was intended, in part, to provide students with opportunities to learn and experience interprofessionalism in practice but was hampered by limited information available regarding the specific skill requirements necessary for students in New Zealand to learn in this context. In this Delphi study, we synthesize national expert opinion on student competency indicators necessary for effective interprofessional practice. The resultant set of indicators is presented and opportunities for application and further research discussed. The paper offers guidance to others seeking to innovate health curricula, develop novel service-oriented learning experiences for students, and foster interprofessional practice competence in the future health workforce.

The effect of interprofessional education on interprofessional professionalism behaviors of the surgical team members

INTRODUCTION

Interprofessional professionalism (IPP) has been introduced as one of the critical sub-competencies of interprofessional collaboration. This study aimed to assess the effect of interprofessional education on the behavior of interprofessional professionalism among the surgical team in the intervention compared to the control group.

METHODS

This is a quasi-experimental study. The participants were nurses in anesthetist and surgical technology and surgical residents of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital (n = 150) who were included in the study by the census. The intervention employed an interprofessional case-based learning strategy to explore themes of interprofessional professionalism. Two assessors used the Interprofessional Professionalism Assessment (IPA) tool to measure learners' performance while observing them in practice prior to the intervention, one and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive tests (mean and SD) and RM-ANOVA.

RESULTS

In this study, the participants in the intervention (n = 78) and the control (n = 72) groups entered the study. The Baseline IPA scores of participants were reported as 1.25 (0.12) and 1.21 (0.1) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The IPA score of the participants in the intervention group (2.59 (0.26) and 2.54 (0.24)) was higher than the control group (1.17 (0.08) and 1.12 (0.07)) after one and three months of the intervention (P = 0.0001). The effect of educational interventions was reported at the large level (Eta Square = 0.89).

CONCLUSION

Interprofessional professionalism in surgical teams has been recognized as a critical element of team-based care. The present study used an interprofessional education strategy to develop IPP behavior. All professions benefited from interprofessional education. It is suggested that all surgical team professionals participate in interprofessional education.

Ethics education to support ethical competence learning in healthcare: an integrative systematic review

Background

Ethical problems in everyday healthcare work emerge for many reasons and constitute threats to ethical values. If these threats are not managed appropriately, there is a risk that the patient may be inflicted with moral harm or injury, while healthcare professionals are at risk of feeling moral distress. Therefore, it is essential to support the learning and development of ethical competencies among healthcare professionals and students. The aim of this study was to explore the available literature regarding ethics education that promotes ethical competence learning for healthcare professionals and students undergoing training in healthcare professions.

Methods

In this integrative systematic review, literature was searched within the PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycInfo databases using the search terms ‘health personnel’, ‘students’, ‘ethics’, ‘moral’, ‘simulation’, and ‘teaching’. In total, 40 articles were selected for review. These articles included professionals from various healthcare professions and students who trained in these professions as subjects. The articles described participation in various forms of ethics education. Data were extracted and synthesised using thematic analysis.

Results

The review identified the need for support to make ethical competence learning possible, which in the long run was considered to promote the ability to manage ethical problems. Ethical competence learning was found to be helpful to healthcare professionals and students in drawing attention to ethical problems that they were not previously aware of. Dealing with ethical problems is primarily about reasoning about what is right and in the patient’s best interests, along with making decisions about what needs to be done in a specific situation.

Conclusions

The review identified different designs and course content for ethics education to support ethical competence learning. The findings could be used to develop healthcare professionals’ and students’ readiness and capabilities to recognise as well as to respond appropriately to ethically problematic work situations.

Effective Learning Behavior in Problem-Based Learning: a Scoping Review

Problem-based learning (PBL) emphasizes learning behavior that leads to critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaborative skills in preparing students for a professional medical career. However, learning behavior that develops these skills has not been systematically described. This review aimed to unearth the elements of effective learning behavior in a PBL context, using the protocol by Arksey and O'Malley. The protocol identified the research question, selected relevant studies, charted and collected data, and collated, summarized, and reported results. We discovered three categories of elements-intrinsic empowerment, entrustment, and functional skills-proven effective in the achievement of learning outcomes in PBL.

Self-assessment, attitude and perception of interprofessional learning in hospital acquired infection control practices among health professionals in Klang Valley, Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional learning (IPL) is a key challenge in Malaysia in incorporating the current profession-specific medical education into the interprofessional learning curriculum. Safe practices would be enhanced with improved collaboration among the health professionals when they learn with, from, and about each other. The main objective of this study was to determine the significant differences in self-assessment, attitude, and perception of interprofessional learning among doctors and nurses in a teaching hospital in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The second objective was to determine if there is any significant difference in the selected demography factors, mean and total scores between doctors and nurses in self-assessment, attitude, and perceptions of IPL aspects.

METHODS

A total of doctors (39) and nurses (37) were recruited for an interventional study on the interprofessional learning approach on hospital acquired infection control. The participants responded to the University of West England Interprofessional (UWEIP) questionnaire at baseline consisting of four dimensions in IPL aspects; Self-assessment on communication and teamwork skills (CTW), interprofessional learning (IPL), interprofessional interaction (IPI), and interprofessional relationship (IPR). The Cronbach alpha value for the total questionnaire was established at 0.79.

RESULTS

The majority of doctors scored positive in CTW, IPL, IPR, and neutral in IPI. Nurses' also recorded the highest positive scores in CTW, IPL, and IPR, and neutral in IPI. Negative scores were found in CTW and IPI. A significant difference was revealed between doctors and nurses in IPL attitude; p = 0.024 and there was no significant difference in other dimensions (p > .05). Results also found a significant difference between participants' and non-participants of IPL training sessions; p = 0.009.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the infusion of interprofessional learning training among the health professionals displayed better self-assessments, attitudes, and perceptions towards collaborative practices.

Interprofessional communication (IPC) for medical students: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Effective Interprofessional Communication (IPC) between healthcare professionals enhances teamwork and improves patient care. Yet IPC training remains poorly structured in medical schools. To address this gap, a scoping review is proposed to study current IPC training approaches in medical schools.

METHODS

Krishna's Systematic Evidence Based Approach (SEBA) was used to guide a scoping review of IPC training for medical students published between 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2018 in PubMed, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, Google Scholar, ERIC, Embase, Scopus and PsycINFO. The data accrued was independently analysed using thematic and content analysis to enhance the reproducibility and transparency of this SEBA guided review.

RESULTS

17,809 titles and abstracts were found, 250 full-text articles were reviewed and 73 full text articles were included. Directed Content analysis revealed 4 categories corresponding to the levels of the Miller's Pyramid whilst thematic analysis revealed 5 themes including the indications, stages of trainings and evaluations, content, challenges and outcomes of IPC training. Many longitudinal programs were designed around the levels of Miller's Pyramid.

CONCLUSION

IPC training is a stage-wise, competency-based learning process that pivots on a learner-centric spiralled curriculum. Progress from one stage to the next requires attainment of the particular competencies within each stage of the training process. Whilst further studies into the dynamics of IPC interactions, assessment methods and structuring of these programs are required, we forward an evidenced based framework to guide design of future IPC programs.

An interprofessional cohort analysis of student interest in medical ethics education: a survey-based quantitative study

Background

There is continued need for enhanced medical ethics education across the United States. In an effort to guide medical ethics education reform, we report the first interprofessional survey of a cohort of graduate medical, nursing and allied health professional students that examined perceived student need for more formalized medical ethics education and assessed preferences for teaching methods in a graduate level medical ethics curriculum.

Methods

In January 2018, following the successful implementation of a peer-led, grassroots medical ethics curriculum, student leaders under faculty guidance conducted a cross-sectional survey with 562 of 1357 responses received (41% overall response rate) among students enrolled in the School of Medicine, College of Nursing, Doctor of Physical Therapy and BS/(D) MD Professional Scholars programs at The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. An in person or web-based questionnaire was designed to measure perceived need for a more in-depth medical ethics curriculum.

Results

The majority of respondents were female (333, 59.3%), white (326, 58.0%) and mid-20s in age (340, 60.5%). Almost half of respondents (47%) reported no prior medical ethics exposure or training in their previous educational experience, while 60% of students across all degree programs reported an interest in more medical ethics education and 92% noted that an understanding of medical ethics was important to their future career. Over a quarter of students (28%) were interested in pursuing graduate-level training in medical ethics, with case-based discussions, small group peer settings and ethics guest lectures being the most desired teaching methods.

Conclusions

The future physician, nursing and physical therapist workforce in our medical community demonstrated an unmet need and strong interest for more formal medical ethics education within their current coursework. Grassroots student-driven curricular development and leadership in medical ethics can positively impact medical education. Subsequent integration of interprofessional training in medical ethics may serve as a vital curricular approach to improving the training of ethically competent healthcare professionals and overcoming the current hierarchical clinical silos.

Medical education trends for future physicians in the era of advanced technology and artificial intelligence: an integrative review

BACKGROUND

Medical education must adapt to different health care contexts, including digitalized health care systems and a digital generation of students in a hyper-connected world. The aims of this study are to identify and synthesize the values that medical educators need to implement in the curricula and to introduce representative educational programs.

METHODS

An integrative review was conducted to combine data from various research designs. We searched for articles on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO ERIC between 2011 and 2017. Key search terms were "undergraduate medical education," "future," "twenty-first century," "millennium," "curriculum," "teaching," "learning," and "assessment." We screened and extracted them according to inclusion and exclusion criteria from titles and abstracts. All authors read the full texts and discussed them to reach a consensus about the themes and subthemes. Data appraisal was performed using a modified Hawker 's evaluation form.

RESULTS

Among the 7616 abstracts initially identified, 28 full-text articles were selected to reflect medical education trends and suggest suitable educational programs. The integrative themes and subthemes of future medical education are as follows: 1) a humanistic approach to patient safety that involves encouraging humanistic doctors and facilitating collaboration; 2) early experience and longitudinal integration by early exposure to patient-oriented integration and longitudinal integrated clerkships; 3) going beyond hospitals toward society by responding to changing community needs and showing respect for diversity; and 4) student-driven learning with advanced technology through active learning with individualization, social interaction, and resource accessibility.

CONCLUSIONS

This review integrated the trends in undergraduate medical education in readiness for the anticipated changes in medical environments. The detailed programs introduced in this study could be useful for medical educators in the development of curricula. Further research is required to integrate the educational trends into graduate and continuing medical education, and to investigate the status or effects of innovative educational programs in each medical school or environment.

A thorny path: the developmental course of problem-based learning for health sciences education in Asia

Problem-based learning (PBL), has been in existence for half a century as of 2019 and still remains the most innovative medical education innovation due to its revolutionary pedagogical approach characterized by student-centered learning (SCL) and self-directed learning (SDL) using simulated real-life scenarios as the learning platform. Here, learning becomes more self-driven, meaningful and relevant, pertaining to the social accountability principle of higher education. Being popular worldwide and driven by a strong demand for medical education reform during the past two decades, PBL has rapidly swept across the medical education communities in Asian countries. Many medical schools in Asia were drawn in by the innovative pedagogical methodology that PBL embraces, but tended to neglect with time, often unintentionally, the philosophy that PBL embodies. As a result, PBL in Asia, for various local academic, cultural, economic and administrative reasons started drifting away from its intended educational purposes. Consequently, the acceptance and practice of PBL in Asia has taken compromised forms as PBL-hybrids embedded within long existing and incorrigibly traditional curricula, or other less effective forms for easier implementation and management, at the expense of SCL and SDL. PBL in health sciences education, which has had a 50-year flourishment in the West, remains a continuous struggle in Asia. PBL for health science education in Asia is certainly no panacea, and is probably heading for a thorny path, despite the ultimate hope for a promising future.

Does PBL deliver constructive collaboration for students in interprofessional tutorial groups?

BACKGROUND

Training health professional students in teamwork is recognized as an important step to create interprofessional collaboration in the clinical workplace. Interprofessional problem-based learning (PBL) is one learning approach that has been proposed to provide students with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to work collaboratively with various health professionals. This study aimed to explore the extent to which students in interprofessional tutorial groups demonstrate constructive collaboration during group discussions.

METHODS

Students (N = 52) from the Medical, Midwifery and Nursing programmes took part in the study. Video-recordings were made of interprofessional PBL discussions (N = 40) in five groups, eight videos per group. Over a period of 4 weeks, participants discussed four scenarios concerned with the reproductive system. The resulting 67 h of video data were analysed qualitatively. To ensure inter-rater reliability, two tutors assessed the students' constructive, collaborative activities using the Maastricht Peer-Activity Rating Scale (MPARS). Finally, to gain an understanding of students' perceptions of their performance and participation in the interprofessional PBL tutorial, we organized three uni-professional focus groups (FGs) at the end of pilot project.

RESULTS

The translated MPARS was reliable (Kappa coefficient 0.01-0.20 and p < 0.05). Students were actively involved in the discussion and contributed to a better understanding regardless of their professional background. Group members from different professions complemented one another in solving learning issues. They were open, feeling free to question and argue from the viewpoint of their own profession, and also understood their strengths and limitations. The statistical test of the scores for constructive and collaborative activities indicated a significant difference between students and the various healthcare professionals, p = 0.000, with medical students scoring highest on both activities. Focus groups further clarified some of the observed dynamics.

CONCLUSION

Implementing interprofessional PBL could motivate students to engage collaboratively in co-constructing knowledge to solve the patients' problem. Medical students scored highest on constructive and collaborative activities.

Student ethical reasoning confidence pre/post an innovative makerspace course: A survey of ethical reasoning

BACKGROUND

Challenges today are complex and rapid innovations are required. We instruct a transdisciplinary undergraduate course where engineering, nursing, and pre-professional health students produce tangible innovative solutions to community health challenges using MakerSpace technologies. Students receive evidence-based ethics instruction as part of the course using the 8 Key Questions for improving ethical reasoning. Design thinking, an empathy-based problem solving technique, was used to teach problem solving and provided context for instructing ethical reasoning.

OBJECTIVE

The Objective of this research was to assess student ethical reasoning pre/post this course where students concurrently produce innovative products.

DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS

Undergraduate students were assessed pre/post course for their perceptions of 1) the importance of, and 2) their confidence in their ability to ethically reason using a digital version of the Survey of Ethical Reasoning, an instrument previously tested in this population.

RESULTS

Participants demonstrated a significant gain in their ethical reasoning confidence and maintained their high ranking of the importance of ethical reasoning concurrently to producing innovative products.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible, with deliberate instruction, for transdisciplinary undergraduate students to develop ethical reasoning confidence concurrently to developing innovative products.

A model of interprofessional problem-based learning for medical and nursing students: Implementation, evaluation and implications for future implementation

Objective: In Germany there is little evidence of interprofessional problem-based learning (PBL) to date. For this reason a corresponding course for medical and nursing students was implemented. The goal was to analyse the feasibility and usefulness from the point of view of the students. Method: For the purposes of evaluation a quantitative observational study was conducted with a pre-course survey, a teaching evaluation and a post-course survey. The pre- and post-course surveys took place before the commencement of and after the conclusion of learning. The teaching evaluation was carried out after the conclusion of the interprofessional course. In total there were five medical students and five nursing students who took part. The descriptive data analysis was carried out using the statistics software package SPSS. The data from the open text fields was transcribed and evaluated using qualitative content analysis. Results: The students' assessment of the interprofessional PBL was predominantly positive. They stated that they were able to expand their knowledge of the roles of the other profession, that the interprofessional course had a positive effect in terms of mutual appreciation and that the tutor had a positive influence on the interprofessional PBL due to his cooperative learning support. Suggestions for improvement were concerned with the expansion of the interprofessional exchange and the establishment of a set timetable for the tutorials. Conclusion: The first study results of the Bildungscluster study can be used to make adjustments to the interprofessional PBL in order to be able to implement the course with a greater number of participants. Further studies are needed in order to comprehensively examine the learning effects and the impact on daily practice.