title: The positive impact of interprofessional education: a controlled trial to evaluate a programme for health professional students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Collaborative interprofessional practice is an important means of providing effective care to people with complex health problems. Interprofessional education (IPE) is assumed to enhance interprofessional practice despite challenges to demonstrate its efficacy. This study evaluated whether an IPE programme changed students' attitudes to interprofessional teams and interprofessional learning, students' self-reported effectiveness as a team member, and students' perceived ability to manage long-term conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective controlled trial evaluated an eleven-hour IPE programme focused on long-term conditions' management. Pre-registration students from the disciplines of dietetics (n = 9), medicine (n = 36), physiotherapy (n = 12), and radiation therapy (n = 26) were allocated to either an intervention group (n = 41) who received the IPE program or a control group (n = 42) who continued with their usual discipline specific curriculum. Outcome measures were the Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS), Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), the Team Skills Scale (TSS), and the Long-Term Condition Management Scale (LTCMS). Analysis of covariance compared mean post-intervention scale scores adjusted for baseline scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean post-intervention attitude scores (all on a five-point scale) were significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group for all scales. The mean difference for the ATHCTS was 0.17 (95 %CI 0.05 to 0.30; p = 0.006), for the RIPLS was 0.30 (95 %CI 0.16 to 0.43; p < 0.001), for the TSS was 0.71 (95 %CI 0.49 to 0.92; p < 0.001), and for the LTCMS was 0.75 (95 %CI 0.56 to 0.94; p < 0.001). The mean effect of the intervention was similar for students from the two larger disciplinary sub-groups of medicine and radiation therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An eleven-hour IPE programme resulted in improved attitudes towards interprofessional teams and interprofessional learning, as well as self-reported ability to function within an interprofessional team, and self-reported confidence, knowledge, and ability to manage people with long-term conditions. These findings indicate that a brief intervention such as this can have immediate positive effects and contribute to the development of health professionals who are ready to collaborate with others to improve patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. ben.darlow@otago.ac.nz.|Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. ben.darlow@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Darlow
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. karen.coleman@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Department Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. eileen.mckinlay@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McKinlay
authors.affiliation: Department Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. sarah.donovan@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. louise.beckingsale@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beckingsale
authors.affiliation: Department Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. ben.gray@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. hazel.neser@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Hazel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neser
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. meredith.perry@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Biostatistical Group, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. James.stanley@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.affiliation: Department Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, Wellington, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. sue.pullon@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pullon
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult