The University of Wisconsin-Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) conducts annual evaluation survey of participants of educational activities offered through the ICEP program. This survey was established four years ago and we continue to explore how to use the data in most impactful way to inform development of future interprofessional activities.
We analyzed the results of 2019 survey focusing on responses to four questions that addressed composition of healthcare team, definition of interporfessional learning, value of interprofessional education, and barriers to collaborative practice. Descriptive statistics of quantitative and categorical data was complemented by evaluation of differences by profession using t-tests and one-way analysis of variance and subsequent post hoc comparisons. Qualitative analysis of typed responses was done to reveal key themes, and similarities/differences by profession.
A total of 636 responded to the survey (8.3% response rate), representing more than 50 professions. When asked how important continuing interprofessional education is to improving quality of care and patient outcomes, 61% of respondents reported “extremely important”; analysis revealed relatively small but significant differences in responses by profession. Great variation was observed in definitions of IP learnin, but our analysis suggested no differences among professions in the numbers of definition elements mentioned by different professional groups. Collectively, the respondent provided all-embracing and vibrant representation of IP learning that should be celebrated by IP education advocates. 11% of respondents reported no or minimal barriers to collaborative practice. Others reported barriers, many of which could be addressed by education, such as communication barriers and not understanding each other’s roles and/or workflows.
Our learner survey approach informs educational program improvement. There is value in conducting a focused, in-depth analysis of rich qualitative and quantitative date to develop insights into the culture shift in healthcare professionals’ beliefs about and engaging in interprofessional learning and collaborative practice.
Disclosures:
In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Standards for Commercial Support, adopted by the Joint Accreditors for Interprofessional Continuing Education, the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education has a conflict of interest policy that requires that all individuals involved in the development of activity content disclose their relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. All potential conflicts of interest that arise based upon these financial relationships are resolved prior to the educational activity.
Lolita O’Donnell, LaDonna King, Barbara Anderson, Wendy Ward, Kathryn Neil, Diana McNeil, Shelley Cohen Konrad
declare no vested interest in or affiliation with any commercial interest offering financial support for this interprofessional continuing education activity, or any affiliation with a commercial interest whose philosophy could potentially bias their presentation.
