The development and effects of a social constructivist approach in an interprofessional discomfort care online education program

The importance of interprofessional education (IPE) programs is increasing due to the complexity and multidimensional aspects of discomfort in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The social constructivist approach, which is helpful in IPE, has received considerable attention in education. This study aimed to develop and identify the effects of an interprofessional discomfort management online education program using a social constructivist approach.

Using the Network-Based Instructional System Design model, five steps were employed for online educational program development: analysis, design, production, implementation, and evaluation. We modified the framework of interprofessional discomfort care and a C3 (case-based, collaborative, and contextual learning) instructional model to construct the program. The study used a non-equivalent control group pre-post-test design with 54 interprofessional participants from four LTCFs.

The pre-post outcomes were statistically significant for proactivity in problem-solving (t = − 2.244, p = 0.030), team outcomes (t = − 2.457, p = 0.017), and transactive memory system (t = − 3.229, p = 0.002). The results of the learners’ educational program-related satisfaction were as follows: overall degree of satisfaction, 3.67 ± 0.67; difficulty, 3.56 ± 0.82; suitability for practice, 3.83 ± 0.64, content, 3.69 ± 0.75; and educational method, 3.46 ± 0.86.

These findings support the effectiveness of the social constructivist approach education program for the awareness of discomfort care in LTCF healthcare professionals and can contribute to the improvement of IPE.