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Has Interprofessional Education Changed Learning Preferences? A National Perspective

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Health Services Research

Published online on

Abstract

Objective To assess how changes in curriculum, accreditation standards, and certification and licensure competencies impacted how medical students and physician residents value interprofessional team and patient‐centered care. Primary Data Source The Department of Veterans Affairs Learners’ Perceptions Survey (2003–2013). The nationally administered survey asked a representative sample of 56,569 U.S. medical students and physician residents, with a comparison group of 78,038 nonphysician trainees, to rate satisfaction with 28 elements, in two overall domains, describing their clinical learning experiences at VA medical centers. Study Design Value preferences were scored as independent adjusted associations between an element (interprofessional team, patient‐centered preceptor) and the respective overall domain (clinical learning environment, faculty, and preceptors) relative to a referent element (quality of clinical care, quality of preceptor). Principal Findings Physician trainees valued interprofessional (14 percent vs. 37 percent, p < .001) and patient‐centered learning (21 percent vs. 36 percent, p < .001) less than their nonphysician counterparts. Physician preferences for interprofessional learning showed modest increases over time (2.5 percent/year, p < .001), driven mostly by internal medicine and surgery residents. Preferences did not increase with trainees’ academic progress. Conclusions Despite changes in medical education, physician trainees continue to lag behind their nonphysician counterparts in valuing experience with interprofessional team and patient‐centered care.