Interprofessional education: tips for design and implementation

• Published in: BMC medical education Vol. 20; no. Suppl 2; pp. 455 - 6
• Main Authors: van Diggele, Christie, Roberts, Chris, Burgess, Annette, Mellis, Craig
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 03.12.2020; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Clinical competence; Collaboration; Communication; Conflict resolution; Cooperative Behavior; Design; Education; Educational aspects; Educational Environment; Facilitation; Health Personnel - education; Humans; Individualized Instruction; Informal Education; Interprofessional Education; Interprofessional Relations; Learner Engagement; Learning; Learning activities; Medical cooperation; Medical Education; Medical personnel; Methods; Multidisciplinary; Peer tutoring; Professional Education; Professional practice; Professions; Review; Skills; Student Experience; Students; Study and teaching; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Teams; Teamwork; Theory of Medicine/Bioethics; Australia; Facilitation; Interprofessional education; Teamwork; Collaboration; Multidisciplinary
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02286-z

Interprofessional education (IPE) is a critical approach for preparing students to enter the health workforce, where teamwork and collaboration are important competencies. IPE has been promoted by a number of international health organisations, as part of a redesign of healthcare systems to promote interprofessional teamwork, to enhance the quality of patient care, and improve health outcomes. In response, universities are beginning to create and sustain authentic and inclusive IPE activities, with which students can engage. A growing number of health professionals are expected to support and facilitate interprofessional student groups. Designing interprofessional learning activities, and facilitating interprofessional groups of students requires an additional layer of skills compared with uniprofessional student groups. This article outlines the key points for planning and practicing interprofessional facilitation within the classroom and clinical setting.