DefinePK

Abstract

Background: Inter-professional learning (IPL) is increasingly recognized as a vital component of healthcare education, fostering collaboration, enhancing teamwork skills, and preparing students for a patient-centered healthcare system. Despite its growing importance, the readiness and attitudes towards IPL among healthcare students vary across disciplines and regions, necessitating detailed exploration.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the attitudes towards and readiness for IPL among undergraduate allied health science students at Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, and to explore the implications of these attitudes for healthcare education and practice.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted over six months, utilizing convenience sampling to recruit 376 undergraduate students from the departments of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, and Nursing. The Readiness for Inter-professional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire was distributed through WhatsApp, Twitter, and email, covering aspects such as teamwork and collaboration, professional identity, and roles and responsibilities. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 to calculate means, standard deviations, and to conduct Independent t-tests.
Results: The study found that a significant majority of students (72.1%) expressed strong agreement with the importance of IPL in their curriculum. The mean scores for the RIPLS sub-scales were: Teamwork and Collaboration (13.76 ± 2.609), Negative Professional Identity (10.57 ± 1.972), Positive Professional Identity (6.40 ± 1.359), and Role and Responsibility (7.50 ± 1.267). Independent t-tests revealed significant gender differences in attitudes towards teamwork and collaboration (Male: 13.42 ± 2.017, Female: 14.07 ± 3.034, p=0.015) and roles and responsibility (Male: 7.3187 ± 1.16940, Female: 7.6701 ± 1.33290, p=0.007), but not in professional identities.
Conclusion: The study underscores a generally positive attitude towards IPL among healthcare students, with notable readiness for teamwork and understanding of roles and responsibilities. These findings highlight the necessity of integrating IPL into healthcare education curricula to enhance collaborative skills and prepare students for the complexities of modern healthcare delivery.