Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (Dec 2022)
Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Extracurricular Event Using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
Haya M Almalag,1,* Maha Saja,2,* Hanan H Abouzaid,1 Lobna Aljuffali,1 Hana Alzamil,2 Latifah Almater,3 Loulwah Alothman,4 Faten Alzamel5 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Haya M Almalag, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, King Saud University, College of Pharmacy, Riyadh, 11149, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966118057859, Fax +966114677480, Email [email protected] and Purpose: Although health science programs run parallel to each other and comprise of shared core subjects between the different disciplines, students of the different disciplines rarely mix or interact with each other during their undergraduate studies. Extracurricular activities are a big part of university students’ life, through which students have an opportunity to express themselves and enhance their soft skills in a safe and relaxed environment. Recently, King Saud University (KSU), Saudi Arabia, launched a multi-disciplinary event aimed at raising public’s awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the healthcare system. Although the event was designed to educate the public about their rights and responsibilities in the healthcare system, it has proven to be a good opportunity to promote interprofessional education among participating students. This study aims to review and assess the impact of this multi-disciplinary public awareness event on the acquisition of core interprofessional competencies by participating students from the health sciences using Kolb’s experiential learning theory as a framework.Patients and Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured Zoom interviews in Nov 2020 with health science students who participated in the event. The research team used a pre-designed topic guide based on Kolb’s experiential learning theory (KELT) for the interview questions. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Twenty-one students, representing four health science colleges at KSU participated in three focus groups. The main themes identified were participants’ attitudes towards the event, the types of knowledge and skills acquired from the event, and how they practically applied the knowledge acquired. These themes were aligned to KELT as this study’s framework.Conclusion: The event covered the most important concepts of interprofessional education and could be a potential tool to educate students from multiple disciplines.Keywords: interprofessional education, patient rights, patients’ responsibility, interprofessional collaboration, public awareness, Kolb‘s theory
