Nursing and medical student attitudes about communication and collaboration before and after an interprofessional education experience.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes about interprofessional communication and collaboration as well as the effect of an interprofessional educational intervention on health care students.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education requires an understanding of student attitudes about interprofessional communication and collaboration, as well as whether those attitudes are affected by participation in such educational initiatives.

METHOD: Medical and nursing students were placed in health care teams. Attitudes about communication and collaboration were measured at the beginning and end of the project using the Jefferson scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration and the Baggs Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions tool.

RESULTS: Significant differences were seen between the medical and nursing groups as well as across time.

CONCLUSION: Compared with nursing students, medical students began their student careers with less positive attitudes toward interprofessional communication and collaboration. In spite of the three-semester health care team program, these differences persisted.