Case studies of interprofessional education initiatives from five countries.

Abstract

Background Although teamwork and interprofessional collaboration are critical to patient safety, healthcare graduates frequently report that they often feel ill-prepared to confidently communicate and collaborate with other team members. While interprofessional education has been advocated as a way of addressing this issue, there are multiple barriers to its systematic and sustained integration in undergraduate healthcare programs. Despite these challenges, examples of effective IPE initiatives have emerged. Purpose This paper profiles seven case studies of innovative interprofessional education activities that have been successfully implemented across five countries, for a variety of learners and using different delivery modalities. The evaluation results from these interprofessional education activities attest to their impact and positive outcomes. Conclusion These case studies demonstrate that the barriers to interprofessional education can be overcome when creative and targeted approaches are used. This paper provides a wealth of ideas for the successful design and implementation of interprofessional education initiatives and will be of benefit to educators wishing to expand their repertoire of teaching approaches. Clinical Relevance: A body of research attests to the relationship between interprofessional communication, teamwork and patient outcomes. Interprofessional education is imperative for facilitating the development of graduates’ communication and teamwork skills, however, innovative approaches are needed to overcome the perceived and actual impediments to its implementation.