Health Care Clinical Preceptors’ Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Education in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of Participants [N = 182]

Characteristic	N=182	%
Gender
Male	94	51.6
Female	88	48.4
Age in years
20–29	49	26.9
30–39	70	38.5
40–49	40	22.0
50–59	4	2.2
Above 59	19	10.4
Education
Diploma	15	8.2
Bachelor’s degree	61	33.5
Master’s degree	68	37.4
Doctorate	38	20.9
Years of experience
Less than 2 years	13	7.1
3–5 years	59	32.4
Above 5 years	110	60.4
Working place
Center	1	0.5
Military hospital	49	26.9
Private hospital	25	13.7
Public hospital	61	33.5
University hospital	46	25.3
Major
Anaesthesia Technology	10	5.5
Clinical Nutrition	7	3.8
Dentistry	14	7.7
Medicine	39	21.4
Nursing	40	22.0
Occupational therapy	11	6.0
Pharmacy	8	4.4
Physical Therapy	12	6.6
Radiology	15	8.2
Respiratory Therapy	21	11.5
Speech Therapy	5	2.7

Figure 1 IPE experiences in academic program.

Figure 2 Types of IPE experiences.

Table 2 Participants Attitude and Perception Toward IPE [N = 182]

	Strongly agree. Code = 5 n [%]	Agree Code = 4 n [%]	Neutral Code = 3 n [%]	Disagree Code = 2 n [%]	Strongly disagree. Code = 1 n [%]	Median n [%]
Teamwork and Collaboration
1. Learning with other students will help me become a more effective member of a health care team	107[58.8]	58[31.9]	17[9.3]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
2. Patients would ultimately benefit if health-care students worked together to solve patient problems.	103[56.6]	64[35.2]	15[8.2]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
3. Shared learning with other health-care students will increase my ability to understand clinical problems.	108[59.3]	49[26.9]	25[13.7]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
4. Learning with health-care students before qualification would improve relationships after qualification.	101[55.5]	65[35.7]	16[8.8]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
5. Communication skills should be learned with other healthcare students	105[57.7]	64[35.2]	13[7.1]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
6. Shared learning will help me to think positively about other professionals.	97[53.3]	58[31.9]	27[14.8]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
7. For small group learning to work, students need to trust and respect each other.	130[71.4]	41[22.5]	11[6.0]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
8. Team-working skills are essential for all health care students to learn.	108[59.3]	53[29.1]	21[11.5]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
9. Shared learning will help me to understand my own limitations.	93[51.1]	61[33.5]	27[14.80]	1[0.5]	0[0]	5.00
Negative Professional Identity
10. I do not want to waste my time learning with other healthcare students.	49[26.9]	47[25.8]	32[17.6]	16[8.8]	38[20.9]	4.00
11. It is not necessary for undergraduate health-care students to learn together.	24[13.2]	53[29.1]	34[18.7]	41[22.5]	30[16.5]	3.00
12. Clinical problem-solving skills can only be learned with students from my own department	50[27.5]	47[25.8]	36[19.8]	20[11.0]	29[15.9]	4.00
Positive Professional Identity
13. Shared learning with other health-care students will help me to communicate better with patients and other professionals.	84[46.2]	60[33.0]	36[19.8]	0[0]	2[1.1]	4.00
14. I would welcome the opportunity to work on small-group projects with other health-care students.	81[44.5]	70[38.5]	26[14.3]	4[2.2]	1[0.5]	4.00
15. Shared learning will help to clarify the nature of patient problems.	77[42.3]	75[41.2]	30[16.5]	0[0]	0[0]	4.00
16. Shared learning before qualification will help me become a better team worker.	92[50.5]	62[34.1]	28[15.4]	0[0]	0[0]	5.00
Roles and Responsibilities
17. The function of nurses and therapists is mainly to provide support for doctors.	53[29.1]	53[29.1]	28[15.4]	23[12.6]	25[13.7]	4.00
18. I am not sure what my professional role will be.	25[13.7]	54[29.7]	30[16.5]	17[9.3]	56[30.8]	3.00
19. I have to acquire much more knowledge and skills than other health-care students.	55[30.2]	76[41.8]	39[21.4]	12[6.6]	0[0]	4.00

Table 3 Attitude Differences by the Exposure to IPE

	Exposure to IPE	N	Mean rank	Mann–Whitney U	P-value
Teamwork and Collaboration	No	95	75.25	2589.000	0.000
	Yes	87	109.24
Negative Professional Identity	No	95	125.53	900.000	0.000
	Yes	87	54.34
Positive Professional Identity	No	95	85.09	3524.000	0.082
	Yes	87	98.49
Roles and Responsibilities	No	95	119.58	1465.000	0.000
	Yes	87	60.84
Overall	No	95	108.37	2530.000	0.000
	Yes	87	73.08

Figure 3 Attitude differences toward each scale in exposed vs non exposed group.

Table 4 Participants’ Responses to the First Open-Ended Question

Categories	Representative Participants’ in vivo Responses
Sense of responsibility	“I noticed my student who being exposed to IPE always took advantage and responsibilities rather than other students”. “The way curriculum designed, I think help students to shape their personality and their leadership skills compare to traditional group”. “I did believe people were different in term of leadership skills, however, those students who being exposed to other professions before clinical rotation were active and they had sense of responsibility”
Understanding other roles	“They always make my life easier, because they ready to engage, understand other professions duties, understand when it would be appropriate to jump for help”. “No need to explain other responsibilities as I always did with traditional group”.
Communication Skills	“They are good in communication with other professions because they already knew other roles and responsibilities”. “Both groups have good skills of communication, because communication is based on individual skills, however, my students who exposed to IPE, they communicate faster with other professions due to understand their roles”.

Table 5 The Order of Importance for IPE Exposure

Domain	Ranking	Frequency
Roles/Responsibilities	1	67
Interprofessional Communication	2	49
Teams and Teamwork	3	40
Values/Ethics	4	26

Table 6 The Order of Importance for Students Who Did Not Have IPE Exposure

Domain	Ranking	Frequency
Teams and Teamwork	1	61
Values/Ethics	2	53
Roles/Responsibilities	3	36
Interprofessional Communication	4	32