Impact of an interprofessional training ward on interprofessional competencies – a quantitative longitudinal study

Complex learning strategies, like interprofessional training wards in which students work autonomously in interprofessional collaboration, can support the development of interprofessional competencies in terms of knowledge, abilities and attitudes. To assess the short-term and long-term effects of a three to five weeks placement on such an interprofessional training ward on nursing and medical undergraduates, a study with pre-post-follow-up design was conducted from April 2017 until February 2019. Outcome measures were the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP), the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS), and the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS) measuring interprofessional competencies, including teamwork, communication, interprofessional learning, collaboration, and socialization. 60 medical and 63 nursing undergraduates of the first 16 interprofessional student teams that were placed on the Heidelberg interprofessional training ward (HIPSTA) between April 2017 and November 2018 were included in the study. Data was analyzed using the linear mixed model analysis for longitudinal comparisons of scores before, directly after and three months after the placement on the interprofessional training ward. Statistically significant positive short-term effects in interprofessional competencies were found in all three questionnaires, with effect sizes up to d = 1.05. Statistically significant positive long-term effects with effect sizes up to d = 0.60 were found in the ISVS and the AITCS concerning socialization and collaboration. These results indicate that interprofessional education in a clinical setting positively influences the participants’ perception of interprofessional socialization and teamwork. This may possibly lead to improved interprofessional collaboration in their further career. Strategies to yield a sustainable improvement of attitudes toward interprofessional interaction are still needed.