A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an online educational intervention on interprofessional team collaboration

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an online interprofessional education competency (IPEC) online educational module intervention on the level of interprofessional team collaboration (ITC) on three subscales, as measured with the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS-II) in interprofessional healthcare providers. A two-group randomized controlled trial, with repeated measures design was used for this study. This study was conducted from October 2020 to June 2021. A computer-based randomized generator assigned 161 subjects to the intervention (n = 75) or control group (n = 86). The intervention group participated in an IPEC focused module and the control group participated in a routine family-centered care module. Data collection for both the intervention group and control group occurred at three time points: at baseline, immediately after completion, and at 1 month after completion of the module. The intervention group had statistically significant differences in all three subscales of the validated AITCS-II tool immediate post-intervention in partnership (p < .001), coordination (p < .001), and cooperation (p < .001) in comparison to the control group. The control group was not statistically significant at any time period. The intervention module was effective in increasing the level of collaboration within healthcare teams. This study supports assessing teams for their level v of interprofessional collaboration, providing insight into strengths and weaknesses of interprofessional teams, and integrating Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) related education is impactful. Study outcomes can assist organizations in building strategic plans to meet professional development goals and quality outcomes. The study findings have the potential to motivate healthcare leaders and researchers to replicate similar studies and seek further evidence to translate research into practice.