Awareness Level, Knowledge and Attitude Among Lebanese Medical Students Towards Interprofessional Collaboration Between Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional National Study

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is essential for effective, patient-centered healthcare, requiring coordinated efforts among diverse health professionals. Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares medical students to understand their own roles and those of their colleagues, fostering communication, teamwork, and mutual respect. In Lebanon, IPE integration remains limited, and students' awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward IPC are underexplored. This cross-sectional national study was conducted from December 2023 to December 2024 among 608 medical students from all accredited Lebanese medical schools. Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing awareness of healthcare professionals' roles, familiarity with IPC/IPE, and self-perceived competencies using the IPEC (Interprofessional Education Collaborative) Competency Self-Assessment Tool and the PACT (Performance Assessment Communication and Teamwork) toolkit. The mean awareness score of healthcare professionals' roles was 6.05±1.83/10, with the highest recognition for physicians (91.2%) and psychologists (78.8%) and the lowest for physiotherapists (15.7%) and pharmacists (42.2%). Approximately 65.3% of students were willing to engage in IPE, preferring simulated patient care scenarios and case-based discussions. Clinical exposure, academic year, and hospital type significantly influenced awareness, while multivariable analyses identified willingness to participate in IPE and clinical rotation experience as the strongest predictors. Higher self-assessed IPEC competency scores were associated with increased IPC engagement. These findings highlight that Lebanese medical students demonstrate moderate awareness of IPC principles, with notable gaps in understanding non-physician roles and communication skills. Clinical exposure and positive attitudes toward IPE enhance awareness, yet competency-based training is critical to promote meaningful engagement. Integrating structured, longitudinal IPE into medical curricula is recommended to develop a collaborative, team-oriented healthcare workforce capable of delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.