WHIRL Study: Workplace Health Interprofessional Learning in the Construction Industry

Blake, Holly; Somerset, Sarah; Whittingham, Katharine; Middleton, Matthew; Yildirim, Mehmet; Evans, Catrin

Abstract

Interprofessional learning (IPL) is essential to prepare healthcare trainees as the future public health workforce. WHIRL was an innovative IPL intervention that engaged multi-professional teams of volunteer healthcare trainees (n=20) to deliver health checks (n=464), including tailored advice and signposting, to employees in the UK construction industry (across 21 events, 16 sites, 10 organisations) as part of an ongoing research programme called Test@Work. Volunteers undertook a four-part training and support package of trainer-led education, observations of practice, self-directed learning and clinical supervision, together with peer mentoring. In a one-group post-test only design, IPL outcomes were measured using the Inventory of Reflective Vignette - Interprofessional Learning (IRV-IPL), and the psychometric properties of the IRV-IPL tool were tested. WHIRL demonstrably improved healthcare trainees’ interprofessional skills in all five areas of collaboration, coordination, cooperation, communication, and commendation. The IRV-IPL tool was found to be a valid and reliable measure of interprofessional competencies across three scenarios; before and after health promotion activities, and as a predictor of future health promotion competence. This industry-based workplace IPL programme resulted in attainment of health check competencies, and bridged the gap between research, education and clinical practice.

Citation

Blake, H., Somerset, S., Whittingham, K., Middleton, M., Yildirim, M., & Evans, C. WHIRL Study: Workplace Health Interprofessional Learning in the Construction Industry

• Deposit Date: Nov 17, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 24, 2022
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7356571
• Publisher URL: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202008.0450/v1