The intersection of professionalism and interprofessional care: development and initial testing of the interprofessional professionalism assessment (IPA)

Jody S Frost; Dana P Hammer; Loretta M Nunez; Jennifer L Adams; Benjamin Chesluk; Catherine Grus; Neil Harvison; Kathy McGuinn; Luke Mortensen; John H Nishimoto; Anthony Palatta; Margaret Richmond; Elisabeth J Ross; John Tegzes; Alexis L Ruffin; John P Bentley

doi:10.1080/13561820.2018.1515733

The intersection of professionalism and interprofessional care: development and initial testing of the interprofessional professionalism assessment (IPA)

J Interprof Care. 2019 Jan-Feb;33(1):102-115. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2018.1515733. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Authors

Jody S Frost¹, Dana P Hammer², Loretta M Nunez³, Jennifer L Adams⁴, Benjamin Chesluk⁵, Catherine Grus⁶, Neil Harvison⁷, Kathy McGuinn⁸, Luke Mortensen⁹, John H Nishimoto¹⁰, Anthony Palatta¹¹, Margaret Richmond¹², Elisabeth J Ross¹³, John Tegzes¹⁴, Alexis L Ruffin¹⁵, John P Bentley¹⁶

Affiliations

¹ a Education Consultant and Facilitator , President-Elect, National Academies of Practice , Lusby , MD , USA.
² b Faculty Lead, Student Professional Development , University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Aurora , CO , USA.
³ c Director of Academic Affairs and Research Education , American Speech-Language-Hearing Association , Rockville , MD , USA.
⁴ d Associate Dean of Academic Affairs , Idaho State University College of Pharmacy , Meridian , ID , USA.
⁵ e Clinical Research Associate in Quality Research , American Board of Internal Medicine , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
⁶ f Deputy Executive Director , Education, American Psychological Association , Washington , DC , USA.
⁷ g Academic and Scientific Affairs ; American Occupational Therapy Association , Bethesda , MD , USA.
⁸ h Interprofessional Education and Practice Partnerships , Special Advisor for Quality Initiatives, American Association of Colleges of Nursing , Washington , DC , USA.
⁹ i Professional Affairs, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine , Chevy Chase , MD , USA.
¹⁰ j Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University , Fullerton , CA , USA.
¹¹ k Educational Program Development, Policy Center: Institutional Capacity Building , American Dental Education Association, The Voice of Dental Education , Washington , DC , USA.
¹² l National Board of Medical Examiners , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
¹³ m Student Affairs, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy , Alexandria , VA , USA.
¹⁴ n Interprofessional Practice & Education, Western University of Health Sciences , Pomona , CA , USA.
¹⁵ o Medical Education/Academic Affairs, Association of American Medical Colleges , Washington , DC , USA.
¹⁶ p Pharmacy Administration, Department of Pharmacy Administration , University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy , MS , USA.

PMID: 30247940
DOI: 10.1080/13561820.2018.1515733

Abstract

Valid assessment of interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) is challenging. The number of instruments that measure various aspects of IPECP, or in various sites is growing, however. The Interprofessional Professionalism Assessment (IPA) measures observable behaviors of health care professionals-in-training that demonstrate professionalism and collaboration when working with other health care providers in the context of people-centered care. The IPA instrument was created by the Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative (IPC), a national group representing 12 entry-level health professions and one medical education assessment organization. The instrument was created and evaluated over several years through a comprehensive, multi-phasic process: 1) development of construct and observable behaviors, 2) instrument design, expert review and cognitive interviews, and 3) psychometric testing. The IPA contains 26 items representing six domains of professionalism (altruism and caring, excellence, ethics, respect, communication, accountability), and was tested by 233 preceptors rating health profession learners in the final year of their practical training. These preceptors represented 30 different academic institutions across the U.S., worked in various types of practice sites, and evaluated learners representing 10 different entry-level health professions. Exploratory factor analysis suggested four factors (communication, respect, excellence, altruism and caring) using 21 items with the least amount of missing data, and confirmed, for the most part, a priori expectations. Internal consistency reliability coefficients for the entire instrument and its four subscales were high (all greater than 0.9). Psychometric results demonstrate aspects of the IPA's reliability and validity and its use across multiple health professions and in various practice sites.

Keywords: Collaborative practice; interprofessional assessment; interprofessional education; interprofessional practice; interprofessional professionalism; professionalism.

MeSH terms

Communication
Cooperative Behavior
Humans
Interprofessional Relations*
Professionalism / standards*
Psychometrics
Reproducibility of Results
Social Behavior
Students, Health Occupations / psychology*