An introduction to teamwork: Findings from an evaluation of an interprofessional education experience for 1000 first-year health science students
Effective interprofessional collaboration is an important factor in addressing health care needs and priorities. Educators and health care practitioners have argued that interprofessional education (IPE) is necessary to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors to work collaboratively and ultimately deliver enhanced patient/client care. The University of Toronto has implemented an introductory IPE session for approximately 1000 health science students that focuses on teamwork.
A participatory approach to interprofessional education research: Students researching with their peers
The Office of Interprofessional Education at the University of Toronto has sought students to conduct IPE research by offering summer studentships. This paper reports on one of these student research projects, which aimed to examine medical students' perceptions and experiences of IPE.
Improving the clarity of the interprofessional field: Implications for research and continuing interprofessional education
Significant investments are being made around the world to improve interprofessional collaboration, yet limits in our knowledge of this field restrict the ability of decision makers to base their decisions upon evidence. Clarity of the interprofessional field is blurred by a conceptual and semantic confusion that affects our understanding of key elements of education and practice activities, their interlinked relationship, and their effects on health or system outcomes.
An emerging framework for understanding the nature of interprofessional interventions
The current conceptual problems related to IPE and IPC can be observed by the variety of terms employed to describe these interventions. Terms include “interprofessional learning”, “interdisciplinary collaboration”, “multiprofessional training”, and “transdisciplinary practice”.
Interprofessional education: Effects on professional practice and health care outcomes
BACKGROUND: Patient care is a complex activity which demands that health and social care professionals work together in an effective manner. The evidence suggests, however, that these professionals do not collaborate well together. Interprofessional education (IPE) offers a possible way to improve collaboration and patient care.
Facilitators' perceptions of delivering interprofessional education: a qualitative study
BACKGROUND: The literature on facilitation of interprofessional learning (IPL) tends to discuss its importance rather than providing empirical accounts focused on understanding its nature and the factors that might make it effective.
AIM: This study aims to provide an initial insight into facilitators' experiences of facilitation, and begin to identify some of the key elements that contribute to successful facilitation of IPL.
Key factors in planning and implementing interprofessional education in health care settings
Interprofessional education (IPE) is regarded by many health care practitioners (i.e., nurses, occupational therapists, physicians), educators, and policy makers as an important activity to enhance the quality of teamwork and patient care. While the focus on developing an evidence basis for IPE has demonstrated the potential value of IPE for improving collaboration and patient outcomes, exploration of key concepts that underpin IPE has been overlooked.
Interprofessional education for practitioners working with the survivors of violence: Exploring early and longer-term outcomes on practice
Traditionally, practitioners working with the survivors of violence have been offered little in the way of formal education to help them understand why violence occurs and how they can collaborate to support survivors in an effective manner. To help address this need, a team led by one of the authors developed an innovative interprofessional course entitled, "Society, Violence and Practice".
A best evidence systematic review of interprofessional education: BEME Guide no. 9
BACKGROUND AND REVIEW CONTEXT: Evidence to support the proposition that learning together will help practitioners and agencies work better together remains limited and thinly spread. This review identified, collated, analysed and synthesised the best available contemporary evidence from 21 of the strongest evaluations of IPE to inform the above proposition. In this way we sought to help shape future interprofessional education and maximize the potential for interprofessional learning to contribute to collaborative practice and better care.
Delivering practice-based interprofessional education to community mental health teams: Understanding some key lessons
This paper describes a project that offered an interprofessional education (IPE) experience to two community mental health teams (CMHTs) based in separate inner city locations. Team members were offered three weekly workshops that aimed to enhance their understanding of interprofessional collaboration and improve their collective work as a team. A multi-method research design was employed to evaluate the impact of the workshops. Data were collected at four points in time: before, directly after, three months and 12 months following the workshops.