2023 Volume 53 Pages 53-58
【Purpose】Orthoptic students' changes in social skills and confidence at work after receiving Interprofessional Education (IPE) were investigated.
【Methods】The subjects were 87 second-year orthoptic students (average age, 19.7±0.9 years), who had taken IPE between 2017 and 2019. Kikuchi's scale of social skills: 18 items (the KiSS18) was used to assess social skills, and confidence at work was evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) developed by us. The VAS included three items: “confidence in my professional skills at work”, “confidence in my ability to communicate with patients”, and “confidence in my ability to collaborate with other professionals”. Evaluations were performed on the day before and right after the IPE. In addition to the orthoptic students, about 450 students in training programs for medical professionals such as physicians, pharmacists, and nurses had also attended the IPE.
【Results】The KiSS-18 showed that the overall score and the scores for the Elementary Skills in the Subcategories, the Advanced Skills, the Emotional Processing Skills, and the Skills Used to Replace Attack were significantly higher after the IPE (p<0.05). The VAS showed that “confidence in my professional skills at work” and “confidence in my ability to collaborate with other professionals” were significantly higher after the IPE (p<0.05).
【Conclusions】The IPE improved students' social skills as well as their confidence in their professional skills at work and their ability to collaborate with other professionals.
