The particularities and challenges of establishing a curricular teaching unit on interprofessional communication in healthcare

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated substantial deficits in interprofessional (IP) communication, which contribute to reduced quality of patient care and increased healthcare expenditure. Against this backdrop, a course aiming for strengthening IP competencies was established. Methods: The target groups were medical students (MS; n=168), nursing trainees (NT; n=30), and paramedic trainees (PT; n=28). The course focused on role clarification and communication and was delivered using simulation-based training scenarios (IP feedback, team communication, and handover). A comprehensive evaluation was performed using a Likert scale (1-6; 1=I agree, 6=I disagree; mean±SD). Results: In the evaluation, MS reported significantly less interest in the topics than NT ("Topics were interesting to me": NT 1.9±1.8 vs. MS 3.3±1.8, p<0.05). In contrast to MS and PT, NT perceived the content as well aligned with their level of knowledge (NT 1.3±0.7 vs. MS 3.6±2.0 vs. PT 4.4±1.3, p<0.05). MS rated the time allocated for interprofessional exchange as sufficient, whereas PT rated it as insufficient (MS 1.9±0.3 vs. PT 3.1±2.4, p<0.05). More than 92% of participants rated all training scenarios as clinically relevant. The relevance of the IP topic was praised, while the uneven ratios of the participating professions was criticized. Discussion and conclusion: The evaluation suggests that interest in IP content varies considerably among participants. Given the high relevance of the topic, this should not result in IP training being offered only to those who are already interested; instead, IP courses should be mandatory and integrated into the curriculum. Specific challenges in establishing IP teaching must be considered, such as ensuring curricular placement aligned with learners' prior knowledge across professional groups.