DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING OF A NEW INSTRUMENT ASSESSING SELF-EFFICACY IN ABILITY TO FUNCTION COLLABORATIVELY IN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAMS

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important focus in occupational therapy educational programs to optimize preparation of occupational therapists who can address the health needs of an evolving, complex... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important focus in occupational therapy educational programs to optimize preparation of occupational therapists who can address the health needs of an evolving, complex client population. In 2011, the United States (US)-based Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) created the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPEC, 2011). Despite the widespread adoption of the IPEC competencies, valid and reliable instruments based on the IPEC competencies are not available to assess IPE outcomes.
Method: This cross-sectional study involved 660 students from 11 health programs at a US University. Subjects completed a new instrument, based on IPEC competencies (item n=38) designed to measure self-efficacy in ability to function collaboratively in interprofessional teams. A Rasch model was used to evaluate aspects of validity in response processes, scale structure, and precision in measures.
Results: After removing items not demonstrating acceptable fit to the Rasch model, each of the IPEC subscales demonstrated overall high internal scale validity and precision in measures. No differential item functioning was detected in relation to Ethnicity; two items demonstrated DIF by Gender.
Conclusion: The study findings support the validity of the new tool in a US setting. Future empirical studies should (a) evaluate the validity of instrument across international settings, and (b) evaluate the tool’s sensitivity to detect changes over time.
Application to Practice: The new tool is an important resource to evaluate the outcomes of IPE initiatives.
References
1. Interprofessional Education Collaborative 2011, Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice. Available from: . [19 October 2015]