Using a Visualization and Immersive Studio to Design a Novel Interprofessional Education Experience: A Program Evaluation

Research Objectives: To describe and evaluate impact of a two-hour interprofessional education (IPE) experience, developed and implemented collaboratively between speech, physical and occupational therapy faculty.

Design: This program evaluation incorporated a graduate student IPE intiative, followed by retrospectively gathered pre- and post- quantitative data from the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS). Qualitative data were gathered via open-ended survey and were analyzed to ascertain perspectives regarding the content and delivery of the IPE.

Setting: Visualization and Immersive Studio (VISER) room, located in a public university on-campus library setting.

Participants: Inclusionary criteria was ‘graduate students completing speech, physical or occupational therapy programs’ at the designated public university. Data was collected from thirty-seven (n=37) students, including six speech therapy students, twelve occupational therapy students and nineteen physical therapy students.

Interventions: Six pods of students were created, with each pod containing at least one student from each professional designation. Faculty members introduced theoretical underpinnings of IPE, guiding students to introduce themselves to peers via a brief, clear ‘elevator pitch’ style description of their profession. Students then utilized the VISER room to engage in a video-style case study, where specific reflective questions were paired with synchronous immersive content pertaining to a standardized patient impacted by a neurological event.

Main Outcome Measures: ICCAS, a 20-question, 7-point Likert-scale survey was completed with students self-scoring interprofessional collaborative competencies, recalling their abilities prior and subsequent to the IPE event. Open-ended survey questions following the event included queries related to personal benefits of participation, lessons learned and areas for improvement.

Results: Comparison of pre- and post-ICCAS scores revealed noted increases in all collaborative competency areas. Qualitative analysis revealed value of incorporating unique technological delivery to enhance traditional IPE approaches.

Conclusions: Utilizing an immersive space for IPE among pre-clinical healthcare students can augment established interprofessional education protocols.

Author(s) Disclosures: While completion of ICCAS/open-ended pre-post survey questions was entirely anonymous and voluntary, certain additional students participated in the IPE experience as part of required coursework.