RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Exploring the Impact of an International Medical Service Trip on Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration
JF American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
JO Am J Pharm Educ
FD American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
SP 8748
DO 10.5688/ajpe8748
A1 Rotundo, Hanna W.
A1 Connor, Sharon E.
A1 Muzzio, Kathryn B.
A1 Taylor, Alexandria M.
A1 Meyer, Mark W.
A1 Jonkman, Lauren J.
YR 2021
UL http://www.ajpe.org/content/early/2021/11/09/ajpe8748.abstract
AB Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an interprofessional medical service trip to rural Honduras on attitudes toward interprofessional learning.Methods. In this mixed methods research, 19 participating students and residents from medicine and pharmacy completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) before and after the service trip in fall 2017 and spring 2018. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants following each trip to better understand which aspects of the experience shaped their interprofessional learning.Results. There was a statistically significant improvement for the Teamwork & Collaboration subscale and the Negative Professional Identity subscale of the RIPLS following the service trip. Several themes emerged from interviews, including (1) Face-to-face interaction promotes collaboration; (2) Limited resources encourage team-based problem-solving; (3) Time together outside of work strengthens interprofessional connections; (4) Participating in another profession’s patient care activities fosters appreciation of individual roles; (5) Interprofessional care takes time; and (6) Participants felt a greater desire to pursue interprofessional practice in the future.Conclusion. Interprofessional learning during a medical service trip improved participants’ attitudes toward collaboration. This study highlights which aspects of this experience contributed most to interprofessional learning, and our results may guide future efforts to design effective interprofessional education experiences.