Revisiting the attitudes toward health care teams scale: Developing a short version for graduate health care education.

As interprofessional education (IPE) becomes more common in student training programs, reliable and valid scales are needed to measure students' perceptions of the experience. The Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) was developed to measure students' attitudes toward IPE programs using 14 items loaded on two factors. In this paper, we used the ATHCTS scale to assess the effects of a three-semester long health care IPE program on three cohorts of nurse practitioner, occupational therapy, and physical therapy graduate students with three measurement points across two university sites (N = 367). Confirmatory factor analysis on the baseline data of the first cohort revealed unacceptable fit indices; in addition, not all items were applicable, some items had double or low factor loadings, and positively and negatively worded items loaded on separate factors, indicating potential answering bias, and both factors were highly correlated. We thus conducted further item analyses and propose a short version of the ATHCTS using six items with one reverse coded item, describing the quality of interprofessional care in a more parsimonious way. The factor structure of the six-item version was tested using confirmatory factor analysis on the baseline data of cohort 2 and 3. Results were compared to the 14-item version, and fit indices confirmed a better fit to the data than the old version. Using the shortened scale, student attitudes were compared over the course of the program and between both sites. Results showed that site 2 students' attitudes remained very positive over time, while site 1 students' attitudes declined significantly. We suggest this finding is related to the consistency of team membership at site 2 and discuss the implications for IPE program design.

Simulating Interprofessional Geriatric Patient Care Using Telehealth: A Team-Based Learning Activity.

INTRODUCTION: More than one-third of Oklahomans live in rural counties, and 63 of Oklahoma's 77 counties are classified as health professional shortage areas, where telemedicine would be beneficial. In response to this need, in 2012, the Colleges of Nursing and Allied Health at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center implemented a sequence of interprofessional learning experiences to prepare nurse practitioner, physical therapy, and occupational therapy students in team-based geriatric care using telehealth technologies. METHODS: The sequence included modules on interprofessional competencies, a simulated patient case, and clinical experiences. This publication includes instructional materials and evaluation tools for replicating this sequence. RESULTS: Student responses to the guided reflection exercise provided a snapshot of their thoughts and reactions during this learning activity. Overall, their reflections suggested that they were highly motivated and actively thinking about how to work together effectively as a team to care for their standardized patient. DISCUSSION: This case is most applicable for educators who own telehealth equipment; however, a telehealth patient encounter could be simulated with other technologies.