Community Engagement with Older Adults to Evaluate Interprofessional Education in Allied Healthcare Students

Purpose: To examine students’ perceptions of interprofessional education (IPE) as a result of their participation in a community engagement experience with older adults. Methods: Thirty-six students enrolled in the undergraduate majors of athletic training, exercise science, and nutrition participated in an 8-week fall prevention program in two community dwelling senior centers. A one-group pretest-posttest evaluation design was used to assess the IPE experience of the students. Students completed the University of the West England Interprofessional Questionnaire pre and post intervention. Results: Both pretest and posttest student self-assessments of communication and teamwork skills ranged from slightly positive to neutral (means from 2.0 to 2.6). Students reported a statistical change in attitude from neutral (M = 2.3, SD + 1.1) in the direction of slightly positive (M = 2.0, SD + 1.1) toward being able to become quickly involved in new teams/groups from pretest to posttest t (26) = 2.53, p = .018; d = 0.49. 95% of students strongly agreed or agreed that the experience enabled them to interact with an unfamiliar and unique population as well as increased their understanding of other allied healthcare disciplines as a result of participation. No individual items nor the summary score exhibited statistical improvements over time. Conclusion: Overall, the intervention was successful in describing the IPE positive experiences and attitudes of undergraduate allied healthcare students when working in a senior adult population.