What predicts collective dedication in health professions education? A path analysis among health and social care students.

BACKGROUND

In health professions education, cultivating commitment to collaborative practice is essential. However, collective dedication as a desired outcome in interprofessional education (IPE) often remains overlooked. Psychological factors contributing to team members' collective dedication are poorly understood within health professions collaborative learning environments. This study examined relationships among team psychological factors (interdependence, relatedness, efficacy, and potency) and their influence on collective dedication in an IPE context.

METHOD: Data were from 236 undergraduate students (Chinese medicine, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Speech Therapy, and Social Work) who attended an IPE simulation at a higher education institution in Hong Kong. Participants completed a set of standardized questionnaires adapted to the IPE context, assessing positive interdependence, sense of relatedness, collective efficacy, group potency, and collective dedication. The data were analyzed using correlational and path analysis.

RESULTS

Findings showed that positive interdependence positively predicted students' sense of relatedness, collective efficacy, and group potency. Further, sense of relatedness positively predicted collective efficacy, group potency, and collective dedication. Further, collective efficacy and group potency positively predicted collective dedication. Lastly, collective efficacy mediated the association between group potency and collective dedication.

CONCLUSIONS

This study advances health professions education by examining the pathways to collective dedication in IPE. Positive interdependence indirectly affects collective dedication through students' sense of relatedness, group potency, and collective efficacy. The findings provide practical implications of the findings for health professions educators and IPE program implementers.