Case Studies of Interprofessional Education Initiatives From Five Countries

Abstract

Background Although teamwork and interprofessional collaboration are critical to patient safety, nursing, medical, and allied health graduates often feel ill‐prepared to confidently communicate and collaborate with other team members. While interprofessional education (IPE) 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. Innovation This article profiles seven case studies of innovative interprofessional education activities that have been successfully implemented across five countries, for a variety of learners, using different delivery modalities, and with evaluation results attesting to their success. Conclusions The case studies demonstrate innovative ideas that have the potential to overcome some of the barriers to IPE through the use of creative and targeted approaches. This article provides a wealth of ideas for the successful design and implementation of IPE 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. IPE is imperative for facilitating the development of nursing graduates’ communication and teamwork skills; however, innovative approaches are needed to overcome the perceived and actual impediments to its implementation.

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