First-year Medical Students’ Attitudes toward Health Care Teams:

A Comparison of Two Universities Implementing IPE Programs

Abstract

Aim: First-year medical students’ attitudes toward health care teams were compared between Sapporo Medical University and Gunma University, to evaluate the effect of the student placements in community health on the attitudinal change toward collaborative practice (CP).

Methods: The modified Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale was used to measure the attitudes of medical students from Sapporo Medical University and Gunma University. The scale was subjected to exploratory factor analysis to examine the underlying constructs of the survey.

Results: The questionnaire was categorized into three subscales. The regression factor scores of “Quality of care delivery” were significantly reduced at both universities, while those for “Patient-centered care” trend toward an increase at both universities after subjects. Interestingly, there was no significant difference, with almost the same levels in all subscales, after the subjects between the two universities.

Conclusions: Medical students may rather expect high values of CP from the viewpoints of care providers at the entry level. The interprofessional education (IPE) program can contribute to their awareness of the values. Finally, the additive effects of community placement in the IPE program could not be revealed for only one year.