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Interprofessional education requires that two or more professionals learn from and with each other to allow effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Thus far, the interprofessional collaboration of healthcare students might be assessed using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), which is currently not available in its Italian version. This study aimed to provide the intercultural adaptation of the RIPLS in Italian (I-RIPLS) and assess its validity and reliability. A two-phase validation study was performed in 2020, using a single-centre approach in students enrolled in the medical degree, physiotherapy, nursing, and dentistry courses at an Italian-speaking university in Albania. The first phase of the study determined the cross-cultural adaptation of the items by involving two translators who followed a forward and backward translation process. In the second phase, a sample of 414 students was enrolled. The preliminary corrected item-total correlations showed that five items did not show significant item-to-total correlations. Even if their deletion was not mandatory for generating a suitable correlation matrix for factor analysis, the advantages of keeping only items contributing to a more stable measurement with a shorter scale represented the rationale for removing items with non-significant item-to-total correlation from the correlation matrix before testing the dimensionality of the I-RIPLS with factor analysis. The answers from the first 50% of responders (n = 207) were used to determine the most plausible dimensionality of the I-RIPLS by employing an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the second 50% were used to cross-validate the most plausible dimensionality derived from EFA by employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models. The most plausible dimensionality from EFA, by acknowledging the interpretation of the scree plot, the eigenvalues greater than 1, a parallel analysis, and the previous theoretical dimensions of the tool had two factors with adequate internal consistency. The CFA confirmed the two-factor solutions and the internal consistency for each domain. The I-RIPLS has 14 items with adequate evidence of validity and reliability. Future research should revise the tool for pursuing cross-cultural multigroup measurement invariance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to establish the test/re-test reliability of two interprofessional education (IPE) instruments, the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) among occupational therapy (OT) graduate students. The intent was to compare results based on previous IPE experience and year in the program. The RIPLS and IEPS were distributed to 111 OT students at one university. Both instruments were distributed a second time 10-14 days later. Cronbach’s alpha, weighted Kappas, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change were calculated for each instrument. Assessments occurred for all subjects, between students with and without previous IPE experience, and first and second-year students in the program. Overall and between group composite score reliability for the RIPLS and IEPS were fair to excellent (ICC≥0.72). RIPLS subscale ICC’s were variable per previous IPE experience and year in program, ranging from fair-excellent (ICC=0.45-0.93). IEPS subscale ICC’s were excellent for second-year students (ICC≥0.79), and fair-excellent for students with or without previous experience and first-year students (ICC=0.50-0.84). There were no differences for the RIPLS within or between sessions or groups. First-year students had significantly higher scores compared to second-year students within sessions for the IEPS composite score, Competency and Autonomy subscale, and Perception of Actual Cooperation subscale (p≤0.035). Both instruments have acceptable test-re-test reliability; however, previous IPE experience and year in program should be accounted for when distributing the instruments and interpreting the results.

Objectives: The authors investigated the impact of an interprofessional, freshman-level, information literacy course on nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions students by examining whether students successfully met learning objectives in the course related to interprofessional attitudes, identification of research study types, and ability to relate evidence-based practice questions to their disciplines. Methods: Student posters (n=20) completed in a team project were evaluated to determine whether students were able to accurately identify the type of evidence, population, intervention, and primary outcome of studies (n=192). Additionally, posters (n=78) were evaluated to assess whether students could identify a relevant foreground question and link it to their disciplines. Students also completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) before (n=413) and after (n=352) the course to determine whether their attitudes toward interprofessional learning changed. Results: Students performed well on learning outcomes in the course, with most teams identifying relevant evidence-based practice questions (83.8%) and effectively connecting questions with their disciplines (65.4%). Students correctly identified the type of evidence, population, intervention, and primary outcome for 70.0%, 81.8%, 76.0%, and 74.0% of cited studies, respectively. Student attitudes after the course did not significantly change. Conclusion: Interprofessional information literacy education can generate positive learning experiences for freshman health care professions students to increase their beginning-level understanding of research in the health care professions and to prepare them for participation in future interprofessional courses and health care teams. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

Interprofessional education (IPE) has received increasingly more attention over recent years. The objectives of this study were to assess 1) how nursing students' considerations concerning their own oral health and oral health-related knowledge changed from before to after experiencing IPE; 2) how nursing students', dental students', and pediatric dentistry residents' IPE related attitudes and Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) scores changed after experiencing an IPE rotation; and 3) how these groups' attitudes and RIPLS scores were related. Data were collected from three groups who participated in an IPE rotation: thirty-eight of forty third-year dental students (95 percent response rate), all thirty-three nursing students (100 percent), and all six pediatric dentistry residents (100 percent) prior to the rotation, and 100 percent of each group after the rotation. As a control group, data were also collected at the beginning of the winter term from first-year dental students (104 out of 105; 99 percent response rate) and second-year dental students (102 out of 116; 88 percent); the same groups were surveyed at the end of term, with response rates of 98 percent for first-year students and 89 percent for second-year students. After the rotation, the nursing students' tooth brushing frequency increased, and their comfort level with dental visits and oral health-related knowledge improved. The dental students rated the importance of nurses' having oral health-related knowledge and skills lower than did the nursing students and pediatric dentistry residents. The groups' RIPLS scores correlated with these importance ratings. Overall, while the nursing students showed positive responses to IPE, the dental students' attitudes and RIPLS scores did not change as a result of the IPE experience. Future research should explore the conditions under which dental students are impacted by IPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient care is complex and demands that health professionals work together effectively. Interprofessional education (IPE) encourages collaboration by educating students from different professions together. This study examined the effectiveness of IPE in terms of changing students' perceptions of teamwork, professional identity, role, competency and autonomy, and the need for interdisciplinary co-operation. Two multidisciplinary cohorts of health science students (n=51 and n=48) elected to participate in a problem-based learning module (PBL). The module included problems addressing areas of professional identity and cases requiring a multidisciplinary team approach. Evaluation was undertaken using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IPES). Regarding the RIPLS, both cohorts reported significant (p<0.05) improvements in their perceptions of teamwork, collaboration, and positive professional identity. Regarding the IEPS students' perceptions of professional competency and autonomy improved significantly (p<0.05) in both cohorts. An IPE module delivered using PBL appears valuable for professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]