Development and validation of the student perceptions of physician-pharmacist interprofessional clinical education (SPICE) instrument

Objectives. To describe the development and validation of an instrument designed to assess student perceptions of physician-pharmacist interprofessional clinical education (SPICE). Methods. Faculty members from pharmacy and medical schools developed items for the instrument, and 179 medical and pharmacy students completed the scale. Psychometric properties, including reliability and construct validity, were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Results. The final instrument consisted of 10 items with 3 subscales measuring student perceptions of interprofessional teamwork and team-based practice, roles/responsibilities for collaborative practice, and patient outcomes from collaborative practice. Validity and reliability of the instrument were demonstrated. Conclusion. The SPICE instrument demonstrated promise as a valid and reliable measure of pharmacy and medical student perceptions of interprofessional clinical education. SPICE may serve as a useful instrument for educational researchers in assessing the impact of interprofessional educational experiences.