Factors affecting Australian medical students' attitudes to interprofessional education; validity of the Readiness for Inter-professional Learning Scale-Med

ObjectivesTo examine the attitudes of undergraduate pre-professional medical students toward involvement in interprofessional learning, using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale.MethodsA cross sectional survey of 478 Australian medical students in the clinical years (3, 4 and 5).ResultsPositive attitudes (mean: 72%), varied significantly across course years 3, 4 and 5 (p ≤ .05). More negative attitudes to IPL in the middle (second) year of clinical placement (course year 4) compared with the prior year. A three-factor explanatory model was adopted: Shared Learning (11 items) (Cronbach alpha .92), Professional Identity (5 items) (α = .75) and Teamwork/Collaboration (2 items) (α = .51) components.ConclusionsMedical students' attitudes suggest that interprofessional education should be offered early in the medical course. This study confirms the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale-Med as reliable tool when used with undergraduate/pre-professional medical students.