Análise da disponibilidade para o aprendizado interprofissional de estudantes dos cursos da saúde do interior do Ceará

Abstract

Interprofessional Education (IPE) has emerged as a crucial approach in the training of healthcare professionals, promoting collaboration and communication across different fields. The aim of this study is to analyze the readiness for interprofessional learning among students in healthcare programs in the interior of Ceará. The study involved 411 students from five undergraduate programs in healthcare (Physical Education, Nursing, Psychology, Dentistry, and Medicine) at two public universities in Sobral, Ceará. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) were administered. The RIPLS contains 27 items that address teamwork and collaboration, professional identity, and patient-centered care. The data collected were tabulated using Microsoft Excel (2010) and analyzed with the Jamovi statistical software (version 1.6). Descriptive statistics were used, and the data were presented in terms of frequencies, means, and standard deviations. ANOVA tests were used to compare groups, paired t-tests, and Pearson’s correlation to explore relationships between dependent and independent variables, with a significance level of p<0.05. The students from the five healthcare programs who participated in this study showed readiness and interest in interprofessional learning. This suggests that there is potential for collaborative work among healthcare professionals, which supports the provision of comprehensive and high-quality patient care. Significant differences were identified among the programs in relation to teamwork, professional identity, and patient-centered care. The results indicate greater readiness for collaboration among psychology students, while the physical education program showed lower readiness for IPE. The findings further suggest that educational institutions should intensify the promotion of interprofessional education from the early stages of the programs, integrating collaborative practices into the curriculum through joint internships and interdisciplinary projects, aiming for a training model that is better aligned with the needs of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and the complexities of comprehensive patient care.