Abstract
Introduction: Quality health care relies on effective, patient-centered teamwork. Interprofessional education and learning is one of the foundations of health education. These principles were challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to determine whether a collaborative, online learning activity would be experienced as interprofessional by learners from eight health professions.
Methods: A mixed-methods, cross-sectional cohort study with retrospective analysis of survey data was utilized. Two custom-designed exit surveys to assess team behaviors: one from the learners’, the second from the faculty observers’ perspective. A thematic analysis of two open-ended questions was completed.
Results: Nursing was the largest discipline (45 %) participating. Most participants (79 %) reported previous face-to-face interprofessional learning experiences. Correlational analysis showed no association between prior participation in face-to-face IPE and perception that the remote activity was interprofessional. Qualitative analysis revealed recurrent themes of “teamwork and professional collaboration”. A positive correlation between student engagement and learning on an electronic platform was detected.
Discussion: Remote learning activities are experienced as “interprofessional” by learners even if those learners have previously experienced in-person collaborative activities. The results align with existing knowledge that student engagement is an important factor in the success of online learning.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.70657/AHSM.V4.2023.02
Recommended Citation
Kupershmidt S, Cleveland T, Williams MJ, Lucas Molitor W. Interprofessional Teamwork Through Remote Collaboration: A Mixed-Methods Approach. Aesculapius. 2023 Mar 31; 4(1):Article 2. Available from: https://red.library.usd.edu/aesculapius/vol4/iss1/2. Free full text article.