Falls risk assessment: Developing the interprofessional collaborative competences of undergraduate health and social work students

An interprofessional education intervention was designed to foster collaborative skills among undergraduate students from pharmacy, medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, social work and sports and exercise rehabilitation programmes through a simulated classroom-based falls risk assessment exercise. Working in multidisciplinary teams, students engaged with realistic patient scenarios, including history-taking, physical assessments, and the co-development of risk reduction plans. The session emphasised shared decision-making, understanding professional roles, and teamwork in managing fall risks. The intervention was assessed using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) which showed significant improvements in students’ perceived interprofessional collaboration skills. The intervention was evaluated through focus groups in which students highlighted that they had gained an enhanced understanding of professional roles, patient-centred care, and the value of teamwork. While challenges such as uneven group dynamics and perceived professional hierarchies were noted, students noted that this provided insight into the complexities of real-world practice. Overall, the intervention proved effective in advancing students' self-reported readiness for collaborative, multidisciplinary care in falls prevention. Interprofessional group work involving a simulated patient case in a classroom setting. Undergraduate pharmacy, medical, nursing, physiotherapy, sport and rehabilitation therapy, and social work students. The principal objective of the intervention was to promote interprofessional collaboration between health and social work students in conducting falls risk assessments and co-designing risk reduction strategies with patients. Specific objectives were: