Exploration of Students Experience in Inter-Professional Collaborative Practice in Community Setting

Background: Interprofessional collaboration in health care is the mechanism by which multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together to maximize care delivery and patient health outcomes. This study aims to explore health students' experiences of IPC practice in the community setting. Subjects & Method: A qualitative phenomenological approach was carried out. Data were collected utilizing a focus group discussion of 13 health students of different majors and analyzed using the modified Van Kaam method of phenomenological data analysis. Triangulation of data source and method were used to ensure the validity of the findings. Results: Four themes that illustrate participants' perspectives on the nature, benefits, and challenges of interprofessional collaborative practice were identified: interprofessional collaborative practice, differing viewpoints, benefits for a future career, and gaining practical knowledge. Collaboration, communication, and mutual respect were found to be the main components of IPC. The differences in viewpoints and values among health disciplines, role overlaps, and community's negative perceptions, and lack of health awareness constituted challenges to students' interprofessional collaborative practice in community settings. Conclusion: This study underlines the importance of incorporating interprofessional education in professional health care education. Limited interprofessional knowledge and skills could result in negative implications. Conversely, a successful interprofessional collaborative approach has many substantial benefits for health care providers, patient outcomes, and the community at large