| Summary: | Afnan Alrasheed,1,* Noura Altulahi,1,* Mohamad-Hani Temsah,2,3 Zakaria Almasri,4 Sultan Alghadeer,1 Abdullah M Mubarak,5 Hana Alzamil,6 Adel S Bashatah,7 Yousif Asiri,1 Yazed AlRuthia1,8 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Pediatrics, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Nursing, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Basic Science, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 6Physiology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Nursing Education and Administration, College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 8Pharmacoeconomics Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yazed AlRuthiaCollege of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2454, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi ArabiaTel +966 114677483Fax +966 114677480Email yazeed@ksu.edu.saBackground: The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the value of virtual IPE competition that involved a COVID-19 case among healthcare students and the lessons that can be learned to improve this experience in the future.Methods: The 27 senior students from the colleges of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and paramedics were invited to two focus groups that followed the IPE competition and lasted 60 minutes each. A semi-structured focus group discussion guide was used in the focus group discussion to explore the benefits and limitations of the virtual IPE experience. Verbatim transcription of the two video-recorded sessions was conducted, and inductive thematic analysis was performed to uncover different emerging themes.Results: The number of students who consented to participate was 16 (59.26%). The IPE virtual competition was perceived favorably by all students; however, multiple organization and communication barriers were reported. Although the participants liked the IPE virtual competition, they clearly stated their preference for an in-person IPE competition over the virtual one. Managing a COVID-19 case was not perceived favorably by some participants due to the absence of evidence-based clinical guidelines supporting certain treatment protocols over others. Thus, some participants preferred a non-COVID-19 case where clear and evidence-based guidelines exist.Conclusion: The use of different IPE strategies to enhance healthcare students’ collaboration and understanding of their roles in the multidisciplinary healthcare team, especially during pandemic times, such as COVID-19, is possible. Future studies should examine new and innovative IPE strategies that address the identified limitations of virtual IPE.Keywords: interprofessional education, collaboration, COVID-19, healthcare, Saudi Arabia
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