Interprofessional education in pharmacology: students’ attitudes and perceptions across pharmacy, nursing, and medicine

This cross-sectional observational study (2021-2024) evaluated student attitudes and perceptions regarding interprofessional learning and teamwork following an interprofessional pharmacology activity. Students in the first-year professional pharmacy (P1), third-year nursing (BSN3), and third-year medical (MED3) programs were organized into interprofessional groups and tasked with preparing and delivering 15-minute presentations (either in person or online) on clinically relevant pharmacology topics as applied to a clinical case. Students' attitudes and perceptions were assessed using a 17-item survey derived from the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal - Wallis tests, and Mann - Whitney U tests were used for analysis. Out of 659 participants, 464 completed the survey (70%), with higher response rates among nursing students (72%) and for in-person sessions (81%). Factor analysis revealed two underlying domains, interprofessional education (IPE) and teamwork, with excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.97 and 0.95, respectively). The majority of students (77% in each discipline) expressed agreement with both IPE and teamwork. The overall mean scores were similar across disciplines (3.92 ± 0.07 for Pharmacy, 3.95 ± 0.07 for Nursing, 3.92 ± 0.08 for Medicine) and academic years (3.93 ± 0.08 for 2021, 4.07 ± 0.08 for 2022, 3.90 ± 0.08 for 2023, 3.80 ± 0.09 for 2024). Kruskal - Wallis tests indicated no significant differences by discipline or year on the overall score and subscales. Mann - Whitney U tests revealed no differences in average ratings between in-person (3.92 ± 0.05) and online formats (3.94 ± 0.07). These findings suggest that the IPE pharmacology activity fostered positive perceptions of interprofessional collaboration, consistently across disciplines, years, and delivery modes.