The experimental intervention will be the interprofessional group receiving case-based learning about gastro-intestinal toxicities and side effects of children and adolescents with cancer.

The control group is the monoprofessional group that will receive the same case-based learning as the intervention group.

The trial is an educational intervention where groups of healthcare professionals receive the same case-based learning: one group receives case-based learning with healthcare professionals of various professional backgrounds (experimental) versus another group receiving case-based learning with healthcare professionals exclusively of the same professional background (control).

The educational intervention consists of a case that is developed for the purpose of the intervention.

The participants in the experimental group will be randomised into six teams who will receive interprofessional case-based learning. The experimental group will be made up of healthcare professionals from various groups. The participants in the control group will be randomised in groups of one profession

Interprofessional case-based learning

Jette L Sørensen

Interprofessional education in childhood cancer is a multifaceted field. It involves multiple healthcare professionals with general and specialised knowledge and skills. Complex treatment, care and rehabilitation require continuous professional development and maintenance of healthcare professionals' competencies in their own professional field. Limited knowledge exists on comparing interprofessional and monoprofessional education and only few randomised studies have evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of interprofessional education. One clinical area among others where healthcare professionals collaborate is in gastrointestinal toxicities and side effects. These are frequent and potentially severe clinical problems in childhood cancer that involve multiple healthcare professionals.

Objectives: To study the effect of interprofessional versus monoprofessional case-based learning on healthcare professionals' attitudes on interprofessional learning and collaboration.

Trial design: single centre investigator-initiated cluster randomized trial

Methods:

Participants: Employees with patient-related work at the childhood cancer departments and affiliated with childhood cancer at Rigshospitalet are eligible for inclusion. The setting is the childhood cancer department.

Outcome: The primary outcome is to improve healthcare professionals' interprofessional attitude.

Measurements:

The primary outcome is attitudes measured by the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS). Secondary outcome is Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) Questionnaire, and Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Knowledge will be measured by written test as multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ).

Timepoints: The self-reported questionnaires will be distributed to the participants approximately one month before and one month after the educational intervention. On the day of the educational intervention, participants will answer the multiple choice questionnaire.

Analysis: Linear mixed regression will be used to compare differences in mean scores postintervention, adjusted for differences between the two groups.

Results: We hypothesise that interprofessional case-based learning positively affects the healthcare professionals' interprofessional attitudes.

Interprofessional Versus Monoprofessional Case-based Learning in Childhood Cancer

Interprofessional Versus Monoprofessional Case-based Learning in Childhood Cancer and the Effect on Healthcare Professionals' Interprofessional Attitudes: a Randomized Trial

Randomisation is performed centrally by a computer-generated allocation sequence concealed for the investigators

Primary outcome: change in the participants' interprofessional attitude to collaboration measured by Assessment of interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS). The scale contains three main categories: 1)Partnership/shared decision making (19 items), 2) Collaboration (11 items), 3) Coordination (7 items) that are rated on a scale from 1-5 (1= "never"; 2= "rarely"; 3="occasionally"; 4="most of the time"; 5="Always"). The scales procedures scores from 48 to 240. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

Secondary outcome: measured by Change in Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Survey (RIPLS). 29 items on a five-point scale 4 subscales; 1)Teamwork and collaboration, 2)Negative professional identity, 3)Positive professional identity, 4)Roles and responsibility.

The items are rated on a scale from 1-5 (1= "strongly disagree"; 2= "agree"; 3="undecided"; 4="agree"; 5="strongly agree"). Higher scores indicate a better outcome

measured by written test as multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ). There are three options to chose from in this multiple choice questionnaire, one correct answer and two wrong answers. This MCQ is developed and validated for the purpose of this particular education session

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