The Influence of a Group Education Programme at the Workplace on Intensity of and Knowledge about Interprofessional Collaboration in Nursing Homes: A Pilot for Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: Interprofessional Learning (IPL) and improving the intensity of Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) have been shown to create teams that work together better and improve patients outcome. With this study we aim to measure the effect of an educational module on the intensity of IPC as well as on the knowledge about IPC. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled pilot trial in three nursing homes was set up aiming to investigate the influence of an educational module offered as workplace learning for the intervention group. We measured intensity of collaboration and knowledge of IPC using questionnaires completed by the participating staff in nursing homes at four time points; baseline, 6 months, 12 months and finally 18 months. Results: Twenty-nine professionals from the nursing homes participated of which fifteen were in the intervention group. In total eleven different disciplines were represented. At all-time points the control group scored significantly higher than the intervention group (p = 0.0324) for intensity of IPC. Both groups, intervention and control group, scored significantly higher (p = 0.0088) for both outcomes after the intervention period. No relevant correlation between intensity of IPC and the general knowledge about IPC was found at any time point (0 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.2). Conclusions: Scores on knowledge of IPC and intensity of collaboration increased over time in both study groups, with the control group having higher scores than the intervention group at any time point. More research is needed to explore if an educational intervention can influence the perception of intensity of IPC and result in more strict evaluation of it