Assessing Readiness for Interprofessional Learning about Sepsis among Registered Nurses, Physicians, and Respiratory Therapists in a Community Hospital

Interprofessional teamwork and education have been advanced as methods to address the complexities of patient care (National Academy of Medicine [NAM], 2011-2013). One area needing further exploration is health care professionals' readiness to learn together in the acute care setting. The application of interprofessionalleaming (IPL) focused on sepsis education and improvement in sepsis outcomes in a community hospital has not been fully assessed. This descriptive, quantitative study explored interprofessional readiness to learn, perceptions of professional identity, and understanding of roles and responsibilities, by examining three subgroups. Registered nurses (n = 52), physicians (n = 29), and respiratory therapists (n = 30) were assessed using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). No statistically significant difference was observed in readiness level for IPL among the three subgroups. There was no relationship between age, gender, years of experience, and readiness level. This study provided a foundation that the subgroups studied were ready for IPL, therefore making IPL a viable option for curriculum development such as sepsis education.