Evaluation of inter-professional seminar involving patient-partners and caregivers

Objective: To assess the contribution of interprofessional education (IPE) for pre-graduate students from eight study branches. These seminars had patient-partners and caregivers as co-facilitators for reflexive conversations, with educational goals of learning interprofessional communication and involving patients in decision-making.

Methods: A pre/post seminar comparison with 2 questionnaires about the students' professional identity, multidisciplinary collaboration and patients' involvement, and the richness of stakeholders' definitions.

Results: 1142 students participated in the course (n = 740 after removing missing data). The results indicate that this type of education helps students feel more confident in their ability to communicate and collaborate (z = -10,204; p < 0,001), involves patients in their care plan (z = -7,996; p < 0,001) and fosters the competence and autonomy of the post-graduate students in their own professional field (z = -10,627; p < 0,001). It also enriches the definition of patients' roles (n = 399; z = -17,276; p < 0,001).

Conclusion: Including patients-partners and caregivers in IPE enriches the professional identity and increases the self-efficacy of futures caregivers.

Practice implications: This program exposed students to collaborative care practices, can reduce their resistance to this type of practice after graduation by making them more confident in using a structured team approach and recognising its benefits for both patients and caregivers.