Tools for measuring outcomes of interprofessional education (IPE) have been criticized as having weak evidence for validity. The purpose of this study was to compare previous validity evidence for three commonly used self-report tools with data from 684 learners at four U.S. universities to better understand how these measures perform across contexts and learner levels. The research team consisted of faculty representing athletic training, dentistry, dental hygiene, dietetics, medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and public health, who came together to learn about, from, and with each other to inform assessment practices in IPE. Improving evaluation methods is a step toward improving IPE programs, which ultimately prepare students to engage intentionally with patients, families, and communities as future providers. Learners who participated in the study were enrolled in an introductory IPE course/curriculum at their respective institutions, and data were collected at the beginning of each experience.As educators, we must ensure that all learners have a solid foundation for collaborating as a member of an interprofessional team, which requires us to assess their attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Measures we investigated include the Self-Assessed Collaboration Skills (SACS), the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised, version 2 (SPICE-R2), and the University of West England Entry Level Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-ELIQ). All three tools demonstrate similar internal consistency to previous evidence, but there was minor variation in reliability based on whether respondents were traditional college students under the age of 22 (n = 306) or learners age 22 and over (n = 341) who may have more healthcare experience. These findings support use of these tools with early learners in IPE and imply that measure selection and inferences need to be guided by entry-level age of learner and prior healthcare experience. This study was supported by a SPARK Research Development Grant from Saint Louis University.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
