Seeds of change: First assessment of an interprofessional training for medical and nursing students through INITIAL (“INnovative InTerprofessIonAl Learning in primary care”): A mixed-method evaluation

Objective: Staff shortages create an urgent need for enhanced interprofessional collaboration (IPC). Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares healthcare professionals to address such challenges. In this study we evaluated an IPE seminar conducted in the winter semester of 2023. Method: We used the University of West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP-D) and the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS-9A/9B) to assess shifts in students' attitudes towards IPC. Assessments were carried out before and after the seminars, supplemented by qualitative feedback from the students. Results: 21 participants (7 nursing, 14 medical; average age of 24.5 years (range 19-35years)) completed both the evaluations. Initial assessments suggest positive attitudes towards teamwork and interprofessional learning. The post-seminar results showed improved communication and teamwork scores. Further improvements were observed in interprofessional socialization and valuing. Qualitative feedback pointed to potential areas for improvement. Conclusion: The results showed positive attitudes towards IPC. The study was limited by the number of participants, the lack of a control group and the brief duration of the seminar (two days). Nevertheless, we will incorporate student feedback into future iterations of the INITIAL seminar as well as in other IPE activities.