The goal of this mixed-methods research is to investigate the impact of interprofessional education on the professional development and clinical skills of nursing and physiotherapy students who provide home-based care to older adults in Hong Kong. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. Is an interprofessional home-based digital frailty management program feasible for training nursing and physiotherapy students ? 2. Can the training enhance students' skills in providing holistic, home-based care, interprofessional teamwork and communication? 3. Can the training improve elderly health awareness, behavior, and outcomes?
The study will involve 50 students from Hong Kong Metropolitan University, including nursing and physiotherapy students in clinical placement courses. Approximately 100 older adults with mild health conditions, living in home-based community settings, will take part as care recipients.
Students will:
1. Attend a training programme delivered by healthcare professionals, including nurses, physiotherapists, and social workers. 2. Carry out supervised home visits in pairs, working directly with older adults to assess their needs, provide health education, and support healthy lifestyle changes. 3. Use a tablet-based digital platform to record care plans, share information, and follow up with participants.
Aged 18 years or above.
Nursing students: Year 3 Higher Diploma in Nursing students at HKMU enrolled in NURS N222C Clinical Practicum. OR Physiotherapy students: Year 3 and Year 4 Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Physiotherapy students at HKMU enrolled in PHSI N212F Clinical Practicum II.
Able to read Chinese and English, and speak Cantonese.
Willing to participate in the training workshop and conduct home-based intervention.
Unwilling to provide consent.
Cannot read Chinese or speak Cantonese.
Not a registered service user from AKA.
Unwilling to provide consent.
Single group
Interprofessional Education with Digital Case Management for Home-Based Elder Care
BehavioralA structured interprofessional education programme for nursing and physiotherapy students that includes: (1) a 3-hour workshop on frailty assessment, digital case documentation, and care planning; (2) a 30-minute orientation on home visit safety and communication; (3) supervised home visits to older adult participants involving health and fitness assessments, medication support, and health education; (4) use of a tablet-based digital case management platform for collaborative care documentation; and (5) a 4-week follow-up with personalised mobile health messages and a final home visit. The intervention aims to enhance students' clinical, collaborative, and digital competencies in community-based elder care.
Changes in students' satisfaction and self-confidence in learning
This outcome will assess students' satisfaction with the program and their self-confidence in mastering the learned knowledge and skills. The 10-item Modified Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale includes two subscales: satisfaction with the program (items 1-5) and self-confidence in learning (items 6-10). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly Disagree") to 5 ("Strongly Agree"). Subscale scores are summed, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction or confidence.
Changes in students' clinical practice in team and patient interaction
This outcome assesses changes in students' clinical practice during interprofessional education placements, focusing on interactions with both team members and patients. The 8-item Clinical Practice on Team and Patient Interaction Scale includes two subscales: Team Interaction (items 1-4) evaluates collaboration, communication, role understanding, and decision-making; Patient Interaction (items 5-8) assesses rapport-building, cultural sensitivity, health education, and professionalism. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly Disagree" or "Not at all effective") to 5 ("Strongly Agree" or "Extremely effective"). Scores are summed, with higher scores indicating more effective clinical interactions.
Changes in students' perceptions of interprofessional clinical education and collaborative practice
This outcome evaluates students' perceptions of interprofessional teamwork, roles and responsibilities, and patient outcomes following participation in the interprofessional education program. The 10-item Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education (Revised) survey is used, with items divided into three domains: teamwork, roles/responsibilities, and patient outcomes. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly Disagree") to 5 ("Strongly Agree"). Higher total and subscale scores indicate more positive perceptions of interprofessional learning and collaborative practice.
Students' perceived usefulness and ease of use of the digital handover platform
This outcome assesses students' acceptance of the digital case management handover platform using the 12-item Technology Acceptance Model (Version 4). The instrument includes two subscales: Perceived Usefulness (items 1-6) evaluates how the platform supports productivity, job performance, and effectiveness, while Ease of Use (items 7-12) measures usability, clarity, control, and flexibility. Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 ("Extremely Disagree") to 7 ("Extremely Agree"). Higher total and subscale scores indicate more favorable perceptions of the platform's usability and usefulness.
Changes in anxiety and depression symptoms among older adults
This outcome evaluates changes in older adults' mental health by measuring symptoms of anxiety and depression using the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). The tool includes two items for anxiety and two for depression. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale from 0 ("Not at all") to 3 ("Nearly every day"), producing a total score ranging from 0 to 12. Scores are interpreted as follows: normal (0-2), mild (3-5), moderate (6-8), and severe (9-12). Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress.
Qualitative feedback: students' perceptions of interprofessional training and its impact on IPE competency
This outcome involves qualitative data collection through focus group interviews with approximately 20 students (nursing and physiotherapy). Participants will be selected using purposive sampling to ensure diversity in IPE experience. The final number of participants will be determined based on data saturation, defined as the point when no new themes emerge. The interviews will explore: Perceptions of the interprofessional education (IPE) training workshops Perceived impact on IPE core competencies (e.g., collaboration, communication, role clarity) Reflections on interprofessional home visit experiences This qualitative approach aims to provide contextual understanding and deeper insights into the educational intervention's effectiveness, complementing the quantitative evaluation of IPE outcomes.
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
