Theme Identification from Interprofessional Education Takeaways and Remaining Questions After Completion of the First- of a Four-year IPE Curriculum

Evaluation of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) School of Pharmacy (SOP) Interprofessional Education (IPE) Plan (established in 2017) revealed a gap in assessment of Kirkpatrick’s Expanded Outcomes at the level of reaction (level 1) and knowledge (level 2b). To address this gap, a reflective writing assignment was implemented at the conclusion of the PharmD first-year (P1), after students completed three required IPE activities: one simulation, and two Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competency modules focused on teamwork and communication.Goals, objectives, and purpose: This project aimed to determine P1 student interprofessional competency takeaways and remaining questions.Methods/Methodology: The required IPE reflective writing assignment included questions related to 1) IPE discoveries made, how discoveries will impact 2) future interprofessional interactions and 3) delivery of care as an interprofessional team member, and 4) IPE-related questions not yet addressed.

A codebook was developed based on the IPEC Core Competencies and Sub-Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice; analysis was conducted by two investigators using Dedoose to identify themes related to interprofessional reactions and knowledge. To ensure inter-rater consistency, 20% of reflections were coded in duplicate.Results/Findings: The analysis included 92 P1 reflections. The two most common core competency themes reflected in the IPE discoveries made and impact to patient care responses were communication and values and ethics. Teams and teamwork and communication were the two most common themes identified from how discoveries affect future interprofessional interactions. The most common themes of IPE-related questions remaining were teams and teamwork and role and responsibilities.Conclusions, implications, and/or curiosities: Reflection analyses identified student understanding of IPE competencies. Future IPE activities can be modified/developed to focus on themes generated from remaining IPE-questions. Analysis of reflective assignment themes can be broadly adapted by other professional programs to assess learning and future curriculum changes.