Assessment of Educational Needs for an Interprofessional Module on Oral Cancer Prevention and Early Detection among Medical, Nursing, Audiology, and Speech-Language Pathology students: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Nanditha Sujir, Junaid Ahmed, Anand Ramakrishna, Ciraj Ali Mohammed, Bhaskaran Unnikrishnan, John H.V. GilbertAbstract
Background:
Oral cancer prevention can significantly benefit from inclusion of medical, nursing, and speech-language pathology professionals for interprofessional collaborative practice.
Objective:
To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) related to the prevention and early detection of oral cancer and readiness for interprofessional learning (RIPL) among undergraduate medical, nursing, speech, and hearing students.
Methods:
Two questionnaires were utilized: a prevalidated questionnaire to determine the KAP related to oral cancer prevention and early detection for an interprofessional cohort and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire. Reliability statistics, Mann‒Whitney U test, ordered logistic regression, and probit analysis were the statistical tests employed.
Results:
Overall, 138 medical students, 130 nursing students, and 130 audiology and speech-language pathology students were included in the study. Probit analysis revealed that probability of having a good RIPLS score though having good KAP scores, ranged from 0.32 to 0.51 for the included cohort.
Conclusion:
The significant gap in KAP scores and variation in RIPLS scores indicate a need for cohort-specific tailored educational intervention prior to introduction of interprofessional education module.