(134) Surveying the Landscape: Determining National Interprofessional Programs’ Curricular Processes and Assessment Practices

Objective : The objective of this national study was to examine the interprofessional education (IPE) curricula and assessment methods in health profession colleges/schools and academic health centers.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted of all IPE centers, programs, and initiatives listed on the website for the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (n=124). A researcher-developed survey was created to explore participants’ different approaches to IPE from a curriculum and assessment perspective. Face validity was established through expert feedback of faculty members and practitioners with over a decade of IPE and/or practice experience. Data was analyzed descriptively with frequency counts and means as appropriate.

Results: A 55.6% response rate was obtained (n=69). Despite marked heterogeneity in most aspects of IPE curriculum and assessment methods, several commonalities emerged. Most respondents centralized IPE programming at the university or school level. Most institutions required students to complete a foundational level course, specified a total number of total IPE experiences that must be completed, and/or integrated IPE experiences into required curricula. Most classified their IPE activities by level of learning (year in the program). Most evaluated individual IPE activity effectiveness on an annual basis and used a standardized instrument to assess these activities; however, the instrument(s) used greatly varied between institutions. The majority assessed IPE learning outcomes but allowed individual health professions’ programs to determine the method and timing of assessments.

Conclusions: While there are some commonalities across institutions regarding IPE curriculum and assessment approaches, there are still no “best practices” widely being used and recognized as universally effective. Continued research is needed to understand how different approaches might be tailored to best meet the needs of various health professions programs.