Confronting opioid use disorder through virtual interprofessional education

Introduction Interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice (IPCP) are requirements of most health professions education curricula and may be an important method to promote an interprofessional approach to treating opioid use disorder (OUD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of a large-scale, virtual IPE Forum on the topic of OUD and its impact on student pharmacists' assessment of their interprofessional behaviors. Methods Students completed a virtual IPE Forum which consisted of asynchronous online pre-work and a live, virtual small-group case-based discussion activity. Within 2 weeks after participating in the activity, students completed a survey that included a program evaluation and a self-assessment of IPCP behaviors (Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale [ICCAS]). Paired sample t tests determined differences between pre- and post-Forum ICCAS assessments. Additionally, faculty facilitators of the small-group activity completed a post-program evaluation. Results There were 105 third-year student pharmacists that participated in the virtual IPE Forum. A total of 103 (98%) students completed the ICCAS instrument. There were statistically significant increases in each item on the ICCAS, as well as a total mean ICCAS score, from pre- to post-activity. Most students (>86%) reported they gained new knowledge related to OUD. Most faculties (93%) reported the Forum was an effective way to teach students about OUD and IPCP. Both students and faculty rated the program highly, with most (64%) students preferring the virtual forum compared with previously offered in-person experiences. Discussion A virtual IPE Forum focused on OUD was successful at improving students' self-assessed interprofessional collaborative behaviors. Additionally, student pharmacists reported they gained new knowledge related to OUD. Incorporating virtual IPE related to OUD into student pharmacists' training is beneficial and may be preferable to in-person experiences. Future studies should compare educational outcomes of in-person vs virtual IPE experiences and the impact such experiences have on student knowledge.