Nursing students’ interprofessional educational experiences in the clinical context: findings from an Italian cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: To explore nursing students’ interprofessional educational (IPE) experiences during their most recent clinical rotation and to explore the factors supporting IPE experiences. DESIGN: National cross-sectional study on data collected in 2016. SETTING: 95 Bachelor of Nursing Sciences programmes; 27 Italian Universities. PARTICIPANTS: Students who (a) were attending or just completed their clinical rotations lasting at least 2 weeks in the same unit, and (b) willing to participate in the study. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: First to measure the occurrence of IPE experiences in the most recent clinical rotation; the secondary outcome was to discover factors associated with IPE occurrence. MEASURES: The primary outcome was measured using questions based on a 4-point Likert scale (from 0=‘never’ to 3=‘always’). Explanatory variables were collected at both individual and regional levels with items included in the same questionnaire. RESULTS: 9607 out of 10 480 students took part in the study. Overall, 666 (6.9%) perceived not having had any IPE experience, while 3248 (33.8%), 3653 (38%) and 2040 (21.3%) reported having experienced IPE opportunities ‘only a little’, to ‘some extent’ or ‘always’, respectively. From the multilevel analysis performed using the generalised linear mixed model, factors promoting the occurrence of IPE experiences were mainly set at (a) the clinical learning environment level (high: learning environment quality, self-directed learning encouragement, learning opportunities, quality of safety and nursing care and quality of tutorial strategies); and (b) the regional level, where significant differences emerged across regions. In contrast, male gender was negatively associated with the perception of having had IPE experiences. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of nursing students experienced either ‘never’ or ‘only a little’ IPE opportunities, thus suggesting that nursing education tends to remain within the nursing profession. Limiting students’ interprofessional exposure during education can prevent future collaborative approaches that have been shown to be essential in providing best patient care. In order to increase IPE exposure, it is necessary to develop strategies designed both at the singular unit and regional levels.