Changes in attitudes of undergraduate students learning interprofessional education in the absence of patient safety modules: evaluation with a modified T-TAQ instrument

Communication underpinning well-functioning teamwork is a key mechanism for patient safety. Undergraduate interprofessional education (IPE) provides students with a basic understanding of the psychological factors contributing to teamwork. To develop IPE fostering a collaborative mindset for patient safety, attitudinal changes of students for patient safety were evaluated. Changes in the scores of the modified attitudes toward health care teams scale (ATHCTS) and the modified teamwork attitudes questionnaire (T-TAQ) of students pre- and post-IPE program were evaluated in the 2017 academic year. One hundred and fifty-one students (n=151) of five health professions (medicine, nursing, laboratory science, physiotherapy and occupational therapy) and 125 students of a possible 167 completed the survey before and after the IPE program, respectively. In the modified ATHCTS, 11 out of 14 items showed a significant change. The quality of care delivery and patient-centered care subscales showed significant increases in the regression factor score. In contrast, only 7 out of 30 items showed a significant increase in the modified T-TAQ. Four out of five categories, however, showed a significant increase, although the factor structure did not correspond to the T-TAQ category structure. The IPE program may have significant capacity to cultivate competencies to collaborate for patient safety. However, development of IPE may require preceding subjects providing concrete knowledge for patient safety, especially for communication and leadership.