Interprofessional education (IPE)

What can I do?

Impact
This is some text inside of a div block.
Quality
This is some text inside of a div block.
  1. Provide opportunities for students to engage in interprofessional education (e.g., multidisciplinary team meetings that include students) [1, 2]
  2. Embed interprofessional education into teaching content and curriculum design [1]
  3. Use coeducational groups to foster more positive attitudes related to IPE in male students [2]

What is this about?

In a health setting, interprofessional education (IPE) refers to the process of educating students from different health professions (e.g. medicine, nursing, pharmacy, etc.) together, in order to promote teamwork and collaboration among the various professions. IPE can be achieved in a number of ways, including:

  • Bringing students from different health professions together in the same classroom or clinical setting to learn and work together
  • Providing students with opportunities to learn about and from each other's professions and perspectives
  • Encouraging students to work together on projects or case studies that involve multiple health professions
  • Providing students with training and experiences in communication and teamwork skills

The educator's role in an IPE setting is to facilitate the learning and collaboration among the various health professions, and to ensure that the students are exposed to a diverse range of perspectives and approaches. The student's role is to actively engage with the material and with their peers from other professions, and to learn from and about each other's disciplines.

IPE can be beneficial in a health setting because it can help to promote teamwork and collaboration among the various health professions, which can improve patient care and outcomes. It can also help to prepare students for the realities of the healthcare environment, where they will often be working as part of a team with other health professionals.

What's the evidence say?

Teaching and developing interprofessional education modules in various disciplines in healthcare has a large effect on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of learners about collaborative teamwork  ➕➕➕➕➕ [1]. In addition, interprofessional education training programmes have a large, positive effect on students’ knowledge and attitudes ➕➕➕➕➕ [2]. There is also some evidence to suggest that female students benefit more from interprofessional education training than men.

What's the underlying theory?

There are several underlying theories that support interprofessional education (IPE), including the Social Identity Theory, the Social Cognitive Theory, and the Self-Determination Theory.

The Social Identity Theory suggests that IPE can influence learning by providing students with the opportunity to develop a sense of identity and belonging within the healthcare community. Through IPE, students can learn from role models, mentors, and peers, and can form relationships that can provide social support and encouragement. The social identity and sense of belonging that students develop through IPE can enhance their motivation and learning.

The Social Cognitive Theory suggests that IPE can influence learning by providing students with information about the standards and expectations of the healthcare environment and by providing opportunities for social comparison. IPE can also provide a sense of social support and encouragement, which can enhance motivation and learning.

The Self-Determination Theory suggests that IPE can enhance motivation and engagement by promoting a sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy refers to the feeling of being in control of one's own life and decisions. Competence refers to the feeling of being capable and effective. Relatedness refers to the feeling of being connected to others. IPE can foster these feelings by providing clear goals, rules, and feedback, and by giving students a sense of choice and control over their learning experience.

Where does the evidence come from?

This evidence summary is based on two meta-analyses. The first [1] explored the effect of teaching and developing interprofessional education modules on students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes. There were 12 studies included in this paper yet these were limited to pre- and post-test design with no randomised controlled trials. The studies represented healthcare students from a range of disciplines. The risk of publication bias was not examined by the authors  and there was significant heterogeneity across the studies (97%) ➕➕➕. The second study [2] explored the effect of interprofessional education training on students’ attitudes. There were 6 studies included in this paper yet these were limited to pre-and post-test design with no randomised controlled trials. The studies represented healthcare students from a range of disciplines.  The authors found no indication of publication bias when assessed using a visual inspection of funnel plots however there was significant heterogeneity across the studies (98%)  ➕➕➕.

References

  1. Guraya, S. Y., & Barr, H. (2018). The effectiveness of interprofessional education in healthcare: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 34(3), 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjms.2017.12.009
  2. Wang, Z., Feng, F., Gao, S., & Yang, J. (2019). A Systematic Meta‐Analysis of the Effect of Interprofessional Education on Health Professions Students’ Attitudes. Journal of Dental Education, 83 (12), 1361-1369. https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.019.147

Additional Resources

Heading

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.