A Model to Evaluate Interprofessional Training Effectiveness: Feasibility and Five-Year Outcomes of a Multi-Site Prospective Cohort Study

Background and Purpose: Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) programs are the Health Resources and Services Administration’s signature professional training program for health professionals, including social workers, and advocates who strive to improve the health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and emerge as leaders in their fields. In 2021, there are approximately 1,350 trainees who are receiving supplemental training across 52 LEND program sites. Assessing the impact of interdisciplinary training programs like LEND is highly desirable and needed. However, there are no established methods to prospectively assess long-term outcomes of trainees compared to individuals who did not receive the training. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of conducting a longitudinal study assessing the efficacy of LEND training in a sample of LEND trainees and matched comparison peers.

Methods: We used an ex post facto, prospective cohort design to test the relationship between exposure (i.e., LEND training or no LEND training) and outcomes (e.g., reported leadership activities). We assessed study feasibility using our recruitment and retention data. Our study used an existing outcome measure survey (focused on professional leadership roles) to evaluate outcomes for LEND trainees compared to matched comparison peers. LEND trainees and comparison peers were followed annually for up to five years. Our use of a linear mixed effect and conditional growth curve analysis allowed us to model change in number of leadership activities over time.

Results: Overall, 68.3% of eligible trainees participated in the Outcomes Study across five years, and 66.0% were matched to comparison peers. On average, 84.4% of LEND trainees and 79.9% of comparison peers completed the outcomes survey annually. Attrition was low at 0.9% for LEND trainees and 2.6% for comparison peers over five years. LEND trainees are more likely than comparison peers to work with maternal and child health populations, work with other disciplines, and work with underserved or vulnerable populations post training. The linear mixed effects and conditional curve analysis demonstrated the preliminary efficacy of LEND training: LEND trainees began their careers engaged in more leadership activities than comparison peers, and the rate of growth in their participation in leadership activities was greater.

Conclusions and Implications: Our approach is feasible for assessing outcomes of other interdisciplinary or interprofessional long-term training, including federal training programs like T32, KL2, or Title IV-E programs. Our findings also provide preliminary evidence suggesting that LEND training is efficacious in increasing involvement in leadership activities over time.