The Development and Evaluation of a Pediatric Interprofessional Education (IPE) Experience for Occupational and Physical Therapy Graduate Students

Figures & data

Table 1. Overview of IPE mapping for the three OTD-DPT student sessions.

Targeted IPEC competencies	Educational objectives	Learning activity/description	Adult learning theory and constructivist principles
Session 1: Hour 1
2	Describe differences and similarities in the role of pediatric PT’s and OT’s. Discuss principles of family-centered care related to parent interview process. Compare and contrast unique aspects of scope of practice for each profession and areas of overlap in the management of children.	Instructor-facilitated video analysis of OT/PT child assessment. Activity Description Students view short video of OT/PT evaluation of a child followed by faculty-led discussion of role delineation, scope of practice, and family-centered care. Interprofessional Interaction/Assignment: Low threat, supportive environment facilitated through modeling, and coaching. Students work in interprofessional groups during guided discussion and generated two mock interview questions.	Instructors model interprofessional collaboration during discussion of OT/PT roles. Students reflect on and co-construct knowledge of roles. Students mental models of roles and family-centered interview questions challenged based on instructor prompting/feedback.
Session 1: Hours 2 and 3
1, 2 3	Engage in team-based interview of family using a client-centered approach Communicate respectfully in an interprofessional group to determine family and child needs and goals.	Parent interview and instructor-modeled interprofessional treatment session Activity Description Student interprofessional groups engage in the following activities: 1) Propose parent interview questions with instructor feedback, 2) Participate in family interview with instructor support utilizing principles of family centered care, 3) Observe OT and PT instructors performing a short co-treatment of the child, 4) Discuss child and family strengths and needs with the goal of each group achieving consensus on OT and PT needs. Interprofessional Interaction/Assignment Moderate. Student groups supported by faculty prior to and during family interview and treatment observation. Complete goal sheet.	Instructors-model interprofessional treatment session. Scaffolding of learning from drafting interview questions, receiving instructor feedback, followed by participating in interview. Student groups co-construct knowledge of family and child needs, strengths and goals by sharing perspectives. Meaningful and relevant learning by students’ assistance in parent interview
Session 2
1,2,3,4	Collaborate with interprofessional team to select and justify appropriate assistive technology for children with special needs Demonstrate the ability to identify and define problems, critically compare options, and make timely decisions or recommendation in light of evidence.	Assistive Technology Vendor Fair Activity Description Equipment vendors present assistive technology used for mobility and ADLs. Student interprofessional groups explore equipment and clarify questions with instructors and vendors. Interprofessional Interaction/Assignment: High. Students work in interprofessional groups throughout the session to complete a common graded assistive technology justification worksheet.	Scaffold learning from identification of child needs and goals to selecting and justifying most appropriate adaptive equipment. Facilitate co-construction of knowledge through adaptive equipment considerations. Instructor and vendors challenge student thinking “in the moment” to facilitate discussion and problem-solving.
Session 3
1,2,3,4	Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with diverse team members, families, and other individuals to perform comprehensive assessment that is respectful of and responsive to family preferences, needs, attitudes, beliefs, and values Demonstrate knowledge of team-based professional skills, roles, and responsibilities to ensure an environment for safe, efficient, and effective child assessment.	Comprehensive evaluation of child with assistive technology needs. Activity Description: Students work in small interprofessional groups to evaluate a child and identify assistive technology needs. Students interview parent, consider child’s history, and perform an evaluation of the child. Interprofessional Interaction/Assignment: High: students work in interprofessional groups to plan and execute an evaluation of the child. They will prepare a common graded letter of medical necessity and adapted play needs work sheet. Students determine how to work together based on knowledge of roles, scope of practice, and unique abilities and strengths of team members	Student-led session with instructors assuming a coach/facilitator role. Faculty challenge critical thinking by asking students for rationale “in the moment.” Students reflect on action to identify “what could be done” (e.g., behavioral management). Meaningful and relevant learning through actual child assessment with instructor support and supervision. Debriefing after session to identify “what worked” and “what could you have done differently”

IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: 1 = Values/Ethics, 2= Roles/Responsibilities, 3= Interprofessional communication, 4 = Teamwork.

Table 2. Student reported outcomes of pediatric interprofessional education survey.

Question	Domain
Occupational and physical therapists often provide interventions that target very different goals/outcomes of children.	Roles
There are many overlapping areas of responsibility between occupational and physical therapists who work with children.	Roles
Physical and occupational therapists possess expertise that enables both to contribute to decisions regarding positioning for function and functional mobility of a child.	Roles
Both occupational and physical therapists attend to the psychological as well as motor aspects of a child’s function when recommending equipment for positioning and functional mobility.	Roles
I have observed a high degree of collaboration between occupational therapists and physical therapists with goal planning and intervention with children.	Roles
I feel that a high degree of collaboration between occupational therapists and physical therapists can benefit goal planning and intervention with children.	Attitude
Shared learning experiences are beneficial to help occupational and physical therapy students to learn unique roles of occupational and physical therapy professionals.	Attitude
I understand the rationale for using alternative positions in pediatrics.	Knowledge
I feel knowledgeable regarding the similarities and differences in occupational and physical therapy approaches to assessment and intervention planning for a child	Knowledge

Note: Participants rated responses using a 4 point Likert scale that ranged from 1 indicating strongly disagree to 4 indicating strongly agree. Bolding added to denote language associated with the domain based on IPEC competencies, RIPLS, IEPS, and/or accreditation standards.

Table 3. Results of mixed effects generalized linear model.

Survey question	Discipline	Time	Discipline X time
5: I have observed a high degree of collaboration between occupational therapists and physical therapists with goal planning and intervention with children	p = 0.018*	p=.00*	p=.735
8: I understand the rationale for alternative positioning in pediatrics….	p=.310	p= .003*	p=.007*
9. I feel knowledgeable in similarities and differences in OT and PT approaches to assessment and intervention planning for a child	p= .525	p = 0.00*	p=.125

Note: *Indicates statistical significance based on a p value of <.05.