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In this mixed-method evaluation we report on student responses to an introductory interprofessional learning event, accessed by ten professions within six months of commencing their chosen professional curricula. Of 898 students, 754 (84%) completed pre and post course questionnaires, and 81 took part in uni-professional focus groups. Student responses were compared with those of 14 facilitators.

BACKGROUND:

Interprofessional education (IPE) introduced at the beginning of pre-registration training for healthcare professionals attempts to prevent the formation of negative interprofessional attitudes which may hamper future interprofessional collaboration. However, the potential for IPE depends, to some extent, on the readiness of healthcare students to learn together.

OBJECTIVES:

Clear communication is considered the sine qua non of effective teamwork. Breakdowns in communication resulting from interprofessional conflict are believed to potentiate errors in the care of patients, although there is little supportive empirical evidence. In 1999, we surveyed a national, multi-specialty sample of 6,106 residents (64.2% response rate). Three questions inquired about "serious conflict" with another staff member.

BACKGROUND: Patient-focused care provided by an interprofessional team has long been presented as the preferred method of primary care delivery. Community pharmacists should and can provide leadership for many clinical and managerial activities within the primary care team.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which community pharmacists are prepared to be members of the health care team, and to assess their support for general expansion of clinical responsibilities.

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in attitudes towards collaboration between doctors and nurses among medical students in two medical schools: Gothenburg University (GU), which did not offer interprofessional education, and Linköping University (LiU), with a curriculum containing an interprofessional education programme; between male and female students; and between those with previous working experience in medical care and those without.

Expanded school mental health (ESMH) utilizes interprofessional collaboration to implement learning support and mental health promotion strategies in schools. This study reports on the early development and initial psychometric examination of a new scale, the Index of Interprofessional Team Collaboration for Expanded School Mental Health (IITC-ESMH), for measuring the functioning of interprofessional teams.

Professionals bring their own personal and professional culture, competence, and interaction styles to the work setting. This study explores how undergraduate students (n = 619) at five different professional qualification programs from two Norwegian university colleges perceived interprofession education and collaboration (interprofessionalism). The student groups were drawn from nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, biomedical laboratory science, and radiography.

This paper examines the readiness for and attitudes toward interprofessional (IP) education in students across four diverse educational institutions with different educational mandates. The four educational institutions (research-intensive university, baccalaureate, polytechnical institute and community college) partnered to develop, deliver and evaluate IP modules in simulation learning environments. As one of the first steps in planning, the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale was delivered to 1530 students from across the institutions.

A three-year programme was established for practitioners who work with acutely ill and injured children and young people. Courses were held in urban and rural areas of Scotland and more than 2,000 NHS staff, including nurses, paramedics, doctors and allied health professionals, took part. Three-day training comprised clinical skills updates, scenario-based teaching and observed structural clinical examinations. As a result, NHS Scotland says care delivery to children, young people and their families has improved in community and hospital environments.

BACKGROUND:

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is now spreading worldwide and many universities are now including IPE in their curricula. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not such student characteristics as gender, previous working experience in healthcare, educational progress and features of the learning environment, such as educational programmes and curriculum design, have an impact on their open-mindedness about co-operation with other professions.

METHODS: