Bridging the gap: a multicenter survey study of interprofessional teaching for medical students in the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE), defined as when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other, has been widely espoused as a way to promote collaborative and high-quality patient care. IPE initiatives are now commonplace in undergraduate medical education, but it is unclear whether the principles of IPE are reinforced during clinical rotations. Specifically, little is known about whether, when, and how interprofessional providers (IPPs), including nurses (RN), pharmacists (PharmD), and respiratory therapists (RT), participate in teaching medical students. This study aimed to elucidate the perspective of medical students about how IPPs impacted their education during clinical rotations in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Surveys were distributed to medical students who rotated in the medical ICUs at three academic medical centers over a 12-month period. Survey questions focused on three major domains: IPP roles during daily rounds, interprofessional teaching (IPT) outside of rounds, and students' attitudes about IPT. Survey data were analyzed with descriptive and comparative statistics. Free text comments were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: Twenty five out of 53 medical students completed the survey (47%). Students reported that IPPs were commonly present on ICU rounds. Students' reports of IPP teaching varied across professions. On a 5-point Likert scale, pharmacists were perceived to teach most frequently (mean 3.58, SD 0.81), compared to RTs (mean 2.88, SD 1.01) and nurses (mean 2.17, SD 0.80) (one-way ANOVA, F(2, 69) = [14.89], p < 0.005). On a 7-point Likert scale, IPPs were described as teaching a moderate amount outside of rounds [RN (mean 3.46, SD 1.71), PharmD (mean 4.04, SD 1.49), RT (mean 4.00, SD 1.35)], with the majority of RN and RT teaching occurring at the bedside. Students reported generally positive attitudes about IPT, with most endorsing confidence in IPP knowledge base (92%) and teaching abilities (88%); 67% would have a positive reaction if attending physicians invited more IPT on rounds. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students report variable levels of teaching from IPPs on ICU rounds, but similar levels of teaching outside of rounds. Students endorsed positive attitudes toward the idea of enhancing interprofessional teaching in the ICU.