Educational Effects on Students of Interprofessional Education in Inter-University Cooperation in Medical Sciences

Abstract

[Purpose] We conducted an educational program of inter-professional education in healthcare (IPE) in collaboration with several schools and verified its educational effects. [Participants and Methods] Second-year students of the Physical Therapy in the Department of Rehabilitation, Heisei College of Health Sciences, who took IPE in the academic years 2017–2019, were included in this study. Three items, “confidence in performing one’s own job,” “confidence in interacting with patients,” and “confidence in interacting with staff of other occupations,” were assessed using the college’s original visual scale, and social skills were assessed using Kikuchi’s Scale of Social Skills (KiSS-18). The results of before and after the IPE were compared. [Results] The visual scales of “confidence in performing work in one’s occupation” and “confidence in interacting with staff in other occupations” significantly improved after the implementation of IPE, and the effect sizes were more than moderate. Both the significance and effect sizes of the visual scale of “confidence in dealing with patients” and KiSS-18 varied from year to year. [Conclusion] The IPE program promoted an understanding of students in other professions, and helped students develop an identity as physical therapy students. However, it had no significant direct impact on social skills.