Interprofessional Care: An Approach to Enhance Care for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders by Enhancing Interprofessional Competencies

• Provision of care for any health condition is dependent on the knowledge and the competencies possessed by the healthcare professionals. • Improvement of the knowledge and competencies of health professionals through an education program will enhance the effectiveness of care they provide. • Interprofessional Education Module is a method by which the knowledge and competencies of the healthcare personnel can be strengthened. Interprofessional practice is an essential component of healthcare delivery, addressing health conditions requiring multidisciplinary approach. An interprofessional team working together, utilizing the skills and interprofessional competencies is needed to perform the function seamlessly. Interprofessional education is therefore essential to develop a “practice-ready workforce”. This study is aimed at designing and validating an interprofessional education module to integrate interprofessional competencies among students to care for children with autism. Quasi-experimental study done among 49 students. Module was prepared using scientific methods and implemented. Data collection was conducted using questionnaires and observation checklist. Using the mean, frequency and percentage, and t-test, data were analyzed. There was increase in the knowledge (pretest mean 9.43±2.92; post-test mean 12.27±2.98) and competency (pretest mean 76.98±7.55; post-test mean 91.88±5.31) scores with moderately positive correlation between knowledge and competencies (p≥0.05). The study aligned with promotion of Sustainable Developmental Goals 3 “good health and well-being”, 4 “quality education” and 17 “partnerships for the goals”. Study showed that the prepared module was successful in improving the interprofessional competencies of students.