Interprofessional Education Experience, Self-Rated Knowledge, and Perceived Interprofessional Collaboration Among Health Professions Faculty and Educators: A Cross-Sectional Mixed-Methods Study in Albania and Italy

Vocational Health Students Shaping Interprofessional Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study in Community-Based Education.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to: (1) assess how students from eight different educational backgrounds engage in and differ in collaborative practice, (2) examine structural relationships among key domains, including leadership, communication, shared goals, roles understanding, member relationships, conflict management, patient involvement, and (3) explore perceived enablers and challenges in collaborative learning. METHODS A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. Quantitative data were collected from 793 vocational students using the 7-factor, 48-item CPAT instrument. Assumptions tested included differences in IPE outcomes and the mediating role of shared goals, with a path analysis conducted to examine these relationships. Qualitative data from three open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis to explore students' collaborative experiences. Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine of Hasanuddin University. RESULTS The CPAT instrument was re-evaluated for contextual suitability, demonstrating good structural validity (CFI =.937, RMSEA =.054, SRMR =.032). Significant differences in IPE outcomes were found by educational background, while Nursing and Pharmacy were the top preferred collaboration partners, but not by program level or prior collaboration. Nursing students scored highest, especially in communication, decision-making, and collaboration, while Environmental Health students scored the lowest. Mediation analysis showed that shared goals and roles significantly mediated the effects of leadership and communication. Qualitative findings emphasized the impact of clinical exposure and structured learning, highlighting the need for clear roles, conflict management training, and community-based IPE. CONCLUSION Discipline-sensitive, community-based IPE strategies, reinforced shared goals, and role clarity are essential to strengthen collaboration among health professions students.

Developing cultural competence among health professions educators through an international faculty development program: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND Cultural competence is important for health professions educators working in diverse educational and healthcare contexts. However, faculty development programs often focus more on instructional techniques than on educators' reflective, communicative, and adaptive capacities for culturally diverse learning environments. This study examined participants' self-perceived development of cultural competence and learning experiences within a two-year international faculty development program. METHODS A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted with 52 health professions educators from 30 universities across three countries. The quantitative component used a single-time-point retrospective pre-post self-assessment survey to examine participants' perceived changes in cultural competence. Paired-sample t-tests and Cohen's dz were used to assess statistical significance and effect sizes. The qualitative component included semi-structured interviews with 13 participants, analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated to examine convergence, complementarity, and discrepancy. RESULTS Participants reported statistically significant self-perceived gains in 8 of the 13 measured items. The largest effect was observed for adjustment of cultural understanding, t(51) = - 5.578, p < .001, Cohen's dz = 0.77. A moderate effect was also observed for adjustment of communication strategies, t(51) = - 4.071, p < .001, dz = 0.56. Small-to-moderate effects were observed for cultural self-awareness, knowledge adjustment, social confidence, persistence, and understanding of cultural value frameworks. No statistically significant perceived changes were observed in stress coping, p = .142; immediate cultural sensing, p = .302; or changing behavior to suit different cultural situations, p = .192. Qualitative findings suggested that participants' learning was supported by three interrelated processes: Contextualized Construction, Collaborative Learning, and Dynamic Co-Creation. These processes informed the CoLearn Framework and a developmental pathway from Awareness to Understanding and, for some participants, toward aspects of Adaptation. CONCLUSIONS The program was associated with participants' self-perceived gains in selected dimensions of cultural competence, particularly cultural understanding and communication strategy adjustment. The CoLearn Framework offers an explanatory model for designing reflective, relational, and situated faculty development. More complex dimensions, including stress coping and stable behavioral adaptation, may require immersive practice, institutional support, and longer-term follow-up.

Bridging the academic–clinical gap: a comparative cross-sectional analysis of self-reported evidence-based practice engagement and associated research activity between fourth-year nursing students and interns

Background Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a core competency in contemporary nursing; however, the academic-to-clinical transition represents a critical period during which self-reported EBP engagement and associated research activity may diverge. Limited evidence exists on how these characteristics differ between senior nursing students and clinical interns within the same single-institution educational context. Methods A comparative cross-sectional, between-group study was conducted among 260 undergraduate nursing learners at Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia, comprising 118 fourth-year students and 142 interns. Data were collected using the validated Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (S-EBPQ), a self-report instrument assessing frequency of EBP-related practice, attitudes toward EBP, retrieving and reviewing evidence, and sharing and applying EBP; the instrument was administered in its original English form, which is the formal language of nursing instruction at the participating institution, with linguistic clarity verified through expert review and a pilot pretest. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, effect sizes, and multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors were used to examine differences and predictors of total self-reported EBP engagement. Given the cross-sectional design, findings were interpreted as between-group differences rather than developmental change. Results Interns demonstrated significantly higher total self-reported EBP engagement scores than fourth-year students (5.05 ± 0.96 vs. 4.61 ± 1.16, p = 0.001), with the largest differences observed in practice-oriented domains. Fourth-year students reported more favorable attitudes toward EBP (p = 0.025). In adjusted analyses, internship status (p = 0.024), prior research publication (p = 0.010), and age 22–25 years (p = 0.007) were independent positive correlates of EBP engagement, whereas male sex was negatively associated (p = 0.026). Grade point average was not associated with EBP engagement. The model accounted for a modest proportion of variance (adjusted R2 ≈ 10.6%), indicating that unmeasured contextual factors likely contribute substantially to between-group differences. Conclusion Self-reported EBP engagement was higher among interns than fourth-year students, particularly in applied domains, while favorable attitudes acquired during academic study appeared lower in the intern group. Structured clinical exposure and active research participation were associated with stronger EBP engagement, although the cross-sectional design and structural co-occurrence of internship status with research experience preclude causal inference. Nursing curricula should integrate practice-centered and research-engaged strategies to support sustained EBP development across the academic–clinical transition, with future longitudinal and objectively measured studies needed to confirm developmental claims.

Breaking Silos: Evaluating an Interprofessional Education Workshop to Enhance Readiness for Collaboration among Health Professional Learners – A Quasi-experimental Study

Interprofessional education (IPE) enforces the key idea of learning together that enhances future partnerships among learners. IPE fosters a collaborative approach to team-based healthcare that improves the patient outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the interprofessional readiness score among undergraduate students and compare the subscale scores across study groups. This quasi-experimental study was conducted among four different groups of medical and allied health students who were introduced to a day-long workshop on IP competencies, including role clarity, ethics communication, and teamwork, through multimodal teaching and learning methods. Postworkshop, their responses were assessed by a validated tool, namely “Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS)” questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises 19 components grouped into three subscales: “teamwork and collaboration,” (1–9) “professional identity,” (10–16) and “roles and responsibilities” (17–19). The descriptive data and median scores for the various groups of participants were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. The total participants were 204, inclusive of 156 females and 48 males, with an age range of 18–23 years. Among them, 74 were medical, 36 BSc Physician Assistants, 57 BSc nursing, and 37 BSc Critical Care. The readiness scores remained high pre- and postintervention (73.81 ± 8.2 and 74.12 ± 9.3), reflecting a strong willingness for participants. Only the roles and responsibilities domain showed significant improvement (<0.05), indicating better role clarity. This study revealed that health professional learners’ readiness for IPE had high perception mean scores in all RIPLS subscales. Postintervention, only “roles and responsibilities” subscale showed a significant change. Students were eager to experience IPE in the real-world settings.

Innovative and Novel Approaches to Interprofessional Education: Effectiveness of Escape Rooms, Chart Reviews, and Simulations

Systems thinking as the integrative competency in undergraduate Family Medicine education: a cross-sectional evaluation of an integrated primary care block

Background Family Medicine and Primary Health Care anchor effective health systems, yet undergraduate curricula have given them limited dedicated space. The COM353 Family Medicine and Primary Care block at Alfaisal University was created to give these areas more dedicated curricular space, combining didactic teaching, Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) visits, structured reflection, and explicit engagement with clinical uncertainty. Methods We conducted a single-institution, cross-sectional quantitative evaluation of third-year medical students who completed the block in January 2026. A 42-item Likert instrument, adapted from the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and the Groningen Reflection Ability Scale (GRAS) with block-specific items, captured perceptions across seven domains. Of 126 enrolled students, 96 responded (76.2%). Analyses included descriptive statistics, internal-consistency reliability, inter-domain correlations, and multiple linear regression. Reporting follows the STROBE guideline. Results Domain means ranged from 3.90 to 4.27 (of 5), with all domains exceeding the scale midpoint by large margins (Cohen’s d, 0.92 to 1.58). Agreement rates ran from 63.7 to 80.7%. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.988 overall; 0.940 to 0.974 across domains). Family Medicine and PHC Competencies achieved the highest mean (4.27) and reflective practice the lowest (3.90). On a single global rating, 87.5% of students rated the block positively (mean 3.80, SD 1.13). Multiple regression with six domains predicting perceived block value explained 78.2% of variance; F(6, 89) = 53.25, p < 0.001. Three domains independently predicted overall evaluation: Systems Thinking (beta = 0.727, p < 0.001), Reflection (beta = 0.295, p = 0.002), and Learning Environment (beta = 0.293, p = 0.013). Despite producing the highest absolute scores, Family Medicine Competencies did not independently predict overall evaluation, likely reflecting shared variance with Systems Thinking (r = 0.874). Conclusion A purposefully integrated Family Medicine block joining community-based experience, reflective practice, and explicit work with uncertainty appears to produce favorable educational outcomes across multiple domains. Of these, perceiving healthcare as an interconnected system most strongly predicted students’ overall evaluation, suggesting that systems thinking acts as the integrative thread giving other curricular elements coherence.