An interprofessional induction to hand surgery

Abstract

Background: Hand surgery is a multidisciplinary specialty and health care professionals require effective training. An interprofessional induction for hand trauma co-ordinators (HTCs), core trainees (CTs) and specialty trainees (STs) was designed. The primary aim of our study was to determine any improvement in participants' knowledge. Our secondary aim was to assess participants' responses to the interprofessional aspect of the induction, and to gather general feedback.

Methods: Validated multiple-choice questionnaires (MCQs) were distributed to 18 participants before and after induction. Score improvement was analysed for significance with a Student's t-test. Feedback was obtained with validated questionnaires using Likert-scale answers, Yes/No answers and qualitative free-text answers.

Results/findings: Overall, the MCQ scores significantly improved by 3.8/16 points (p < 0.0001). HTC, CT and ST scores improved by 4.3 points (p < 0.05), 3.8 points (p < 0.0005) and 3.6 points (p < 0.005), respectively. The educational content and presentation of the sessions were rated as 4.44/5 and 4.50/5, respectively. Participants appreciated the interdisciplinary aspect of the induction and thought it improved interprofessional teamworking (83%) and patient care (89%), but needed more time to cover topics.

Discussion: Our study shows that our interprofessional induction significantly improved the knowledge of participants from all levels of experience within the MDT, whilst developing interprofessional collaboration to promote safe and effective care for patients. This study is of interest to specialties working within a multidisciplinary team environment. Hand surgery is a multidisciplinary speciality and health care professionals require effective training.