How Effective is Interprofessional Education? A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Collaborative Learning in Health Professional Programs

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) is widely used to prepare collaborative-practice-ready health professionals, but evidence remains concentrated in short-term, single-method evaluations from university settings, with limited process-oriented evidence from vocational health-professions education. This study evaluated the implementation and perceived educational outcomes of a three-year IPE program (2022–2024) and examined conditions associated with perceived effectiveness. A convergent mixed-methods evaluation guided by the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) framework was conducted across three annual sixth-semester cohorts. Of 326 eligible students from nursing, midwifery, nutrition, medical laboratory technology, and environmental health, 297 completed a collaborative-competency questionnaire. Qualitative data comprised six coordinator interviews, two faculty focus group discussions (n = 14), and four student focus group discussions (n = 30). Quantitative and qualitative strands were analyzed independently and integrated through a joint display. Composite collaborative competency was moderate-to-high (M = 3.87), with teamwork (M = 4.12) and interprofessional communication (M = 4.03) highest and role-boundary understanding lowest (M = 3.46). Program-level process ratings increased across successive annual cycles, although participation remained uneven across disciplines. Interaction quality during community-based activities showed the strongest association with perceived IPE effectiveness (β = 0.41, p < 0.001), whereas infrastructure adequacy was weakly associated (β = 0.12, p = 0.052). Mixed-methods integration showed convergence around communication, teamwork, and role ambiguity, and expansion around facilitator readiness and scheduling. Because the annual cohorts were distinct and no pre-program baseline or control group was available, the findings do not establish causal effectiveness. The results suggest that authentic, well-facilitated interprofessional interaction may be more educationally consequential than structural provision alone.