Student Outcomes Associated with an Interprofessional Program Incorporating TeamSTEPPS®.

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education (IPE) of health professions students is a starting point for developing collaborative-practice-ready healthcare professionals, ultimately leading to improved patient care. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel, foundational, IPE pilot program that incorporates TeamSTEPPS® for health professions students.

METHODS

Students representing 13 different health professions programs participated in successive Level 1 and Level 2 "Foundations of Interprofessional Collaboration: Introduction to TeamSTEPPS®" half-day activities (n = 241). Students' satisfaction with the pilot program, changes in attitudes toward teamwork from before to after participation, TeamSTEPPS® knowledge acquisition, and anticipated future interprofessional collaboration-oriented behavior change were assessed through online surveys.

RESULTS

Overall, students were highly satisfied with the pilot program and reported that learning from other professions was valuable. Statistically significant positive changes were noted in attitudes toward teamwork, most notably with the Level 1 pilot. Greater than 80% of students who completed the surveys demonstrated acquisition of TeamSTEPPS® knowledge. Students also reported feeling more prepared to collaborate interprofessionally in their future practice.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that the two-level foundational pilot program is feasible and had the intended effects with regards to moving health professions students toward becoming collaborative-practice-ready healthcare professionals.