Nursing and medical students' attitudes and perceptions towards interprofessional education during clinical training in Uganda

<ns7:p>Introduction Interprofessional Education (IPE) fosters the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for collaborative practice in complex clinical settings. Despite its recognized benefits, IPE remains underutilized in many medical and nursing schools. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of medical and nursing students toward interprofessional collaboration in the clinical learning environment. Methods A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted from April to August 2022 at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Busitema University, and the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University. The study used the 27-item Interprofessional Attitude Scale (IPAS) to assess teamwork, patient-centeredness, inter-professional biases, diversity and ethics, and community-centeredness. Undergraduate students in years 3 to 5 from medical and nursing programs were sampled consecutively. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. Results A total of 467 students participated, including 404 (86.5%) medical and 63 (13.5%) nursing students. The majority (74.5%) were from Makerere University. Only 17.8% had prior IPE exposure. Despite this, students demonstrated a strong willingness to engage in interprofessional learning. Nursing students scored higher in patient-centeredness (p = 0.0467) and inter-professional biases (p = 0.0160). Busitema University students had higher scores in teamwork, diversity and ethics, and community-centeredness (p < 0.05). Female students scored significantly higher in teamwork, patient-centeredness, and community-centeredness (p < 0.05). Conclusion Although formal IPE exposure was limited, students showed positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. These findings highlight the need to integrate structured IPE activities in clinical training to enhance teamwork, reduce professional silos, and improve patient care.</ns7:p>