Interprofessional Poverty Simulation Affects Student Attitudes Toward Poverty and Interprofessional Relationships

Purpose: Poverty simulations in health professions education involving multiple disciplines have been studied, but the impact of poverty simulations on interprofessional attitudes has been surprisingly neglected. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Cost of Poverty Experience simulation on attitudes toward interprofessional communication, learning, and collaboration, while still positively impacting attitudes toward poverty.Methods: Poverty simulations were held annually at a private midwestern university involving students from multiple disciplines inside and outside healthcare. Debriefing questions related to professional roles and teamwork were used to promote discussions between students from different professions about caring for clients experiencing poverty. Data from the 2017-19 events are detailed in this article. Over the three years, 325 students participated in the study. The University of West England Interprofessional Questionnaire and the Attitudes Toward Poverty Short Form were administered pre-and post-intervention. Results: The University of West England Interprofessional Questionnaire showed a significant (p <.001) improvement in attitudes between the pre-test and post-test, with a small overall effect size (Cohen's d=.25). Two of the four subscales (teamwork/communication and interprofessional relationships) showed a significant improvement. The Attitudes Toward Poverty Short Form also showed significant (p <.001) improvements in attitudes toward poverty between pre-test and post-test with a moderate effect size (Cohen's d=.53). The stigma and structural perspective domains showed significant improvements, although there was no significant change in the personal deficiency domain.Conclusions: The interprofessional poverty simulation experience positively impacted attitudes toward interprofessional communication and relationships while still significantly improving attitudes toward poverty. This finding adds to the literature by demonstrating that interprofessional poverty simulations can positively impact attitudes toward interprofessional communication and relationships when debriefing questions guide discussions about interprofessional roles and teams in caring for those living in poverty.