title: Peer-Assisted Learning in Education of Allied Health Professional Students in the Clinical Setting: A Systematic Review.
abstract: Pressure on clinical educators to provide best practice education to growing student numbers is driving innovations in clinical education. Placing multiple students with a single clinical educator may increase capacity; however, little is known about the role and impact of peer-assisted learning (PAL) in these models. A systematic review of the literature from 1985 to 2014 was done to investigate the effectiveness of PAL amongst allied health professional students in clinical settings. Secondary aims were to investigate how PAL is defined and measured in this practice setting. Twenty-eight articles representing five allied health professions met the inclusion criteria. The risk of bias in the articles was generally high, limiting confidence in findings. Nine studies measured the effects of PAL on students, with inconsistent results across domains of satisfaction, perceived learning, and performance outcomes. Only four studies described how PAL was facilitated. Evidence supporting PAL is non-specific and lacks comparative rigour. More robust research is needed to quantify the potential benefits of PAL.
authors.affiliation: Allied Health Workforce Innovation, Strategy, Education and Research Unit, Monash Health, Kangan Drive, Berwick, VIC 3806, Australia. Tel +61 0417 050 815. sam.sevenhuysen@monashhealth.org.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sevenhuysen
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molloy
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keating
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haines
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010379:Peer Group; D013336:Students, Health Occupations; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*