Abstract:

Background:
Interprofessional education (IPE) has been deemed an essential component in health science education by the World Health Organization. Therefore, it is critical for health science educators to provide and assess IPE instructional methods. The innovative instructional approach of role reversal was used in a case-based, face-to-face IPE workshop initially conducted in September 2019 with second-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students and second-year medical students (MSII). The experience was transitioned to an online learning environment in September 2020 due to COVID-19.

Methodology:
The learning objectives for the IPE workshop were based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborate (IPEC) core competencies The use of role reversal as an instructional method was used to increase the understanding of the role of other professionals in the case scenario of a patient with stroke preparing for discharge from the hospital. A retrospective pretest–posttest design was used to assess the IPE activity in 2019 and 2020.

A total of 451 students participated in both years of the IPE experience. The students were pre-arranged into teams of 10. In every group, one MSII student was assigned the role of the occupational therapist and the OTD student was assigned the role of the physician. Other team roles to which students were assigned included a nurse, social worker, psychologist, pharmacist, physical therapist while standardized patients played the role of the patient. Students completed two scenarios—a team meeting and a family meeting with the team—as the role they were assigned. Following each scenario, the groups debriefed about the experience.

At the conclusion of the workshop, data were collected using the refined IPEC Competency Self-Assessment Tool4 that was electronically distributed to students. It was hypothesized the students who participated in this IPE workshop would demonstrate a significant change in pre/post-test scores. Descriptive data for pre/post-tests were analyzed and a paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare the mean scores using Excel.

Findings:
In 2019, aggregate pre- and post-activity mean overall and subscale scores were compared using the paired samples t test (n = 210). Cohen's d was calculated as a measure of effect size. There was a significant overall score increase on the IPEC tool after participating in the IPE activity (M = .28, SD = .43, p < .001, d = .66). The largest increase was in the Interaction subscale (M = .37, SD = .53, p < .001, d = .71), followed by the Values subscale (M = .20, SD = .39, p < .001, d = .52).

In 2020, there was a significant overall score increase for the OTD students on the IPEC assessment tool after participating in the IPE activity ( SD = .40, p < .001, d = .90). The largest increase was seen in the Interaction subscale (SD = .50, p < .001, d = .90), followed by the Values subscale (SD = .30, p < .001, d = .70). However, the MSII did not demonstrate a significant change in pre- and post-test scores.

Conclusion:
The significant difference between the pre and post-test scores suggests role reversal in IPE may be an effective instructional method for IPE objectives. The comparison of outcomes from the transition of a face-to-face to an online interprofessional education experience with medical and occupational therapy students indicate both delivery methods are effective.

Keywords:

Interprofessional education, medical education, health science education, occupational therapy education, role reversal, online teaching and learning.