Interprofessional education has been gaining traction in the educational and professional climate today. As a shift has been made to incorporate the collaboration of health professionals into education, benefits in overall quality of education and patient care have been observed. Students who are involved in IPE are able to learn about other careers, learn the limitations of their own career, cement existing knowledge, develop relationships with members of various fields, improve teamwork skills, and enhance their job satisfaction. Patients have also benefited from the new IPE implementation. As a result of increased collaboration, there has been a reduction in patient errors and overall improved quality of care among programs who participate in IPE.
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Interprofessional education, defined as “educational experiences shared by members or students of different health professions,” has been gaining traction in the educational and professional climate today. As a shift has been made to incorporate the collaboration of health professionals into education, benefits in overall quality of education and patient care have been observed. Students who are involved in IPE are able to learn about other careers, learn the limitations of their own career, cement existing knowledge, develop relationships with members of various fields, improve teamwork skills, and enhance their job satisfaction. Patients have also benefited from the new IPE implementation. As a result of increased collaboration, there has been a reduction in patient errors and overall improved quality of care among programs who participate in IPE. Additionally, as members of healthcare teams feel more empowered, better recommendations are provided for patient care. The improved relational benefits provided by IPE allow for reduced communication gaps in patient care, less delayed diagnosis, and fewer poor outcomes. The comprehensive needs of a patient are also better addressed using a team approach and the overall healthcare environment tends to be more patient centered when IPE is emphasized.
However, while the positive impact of IPE is apparent, there are many barriers that hinder the implementation of IPE programs. Logistically, equal representation of healthcare professionals in programs, addition of new content into an already crowded curriculum, and the lack of experience of educators in teaching IPE have all posed concerns. Psychosocial barriers have also arisen, as the healthcare hierarchy and “self-sufficient” mentality that has permeated health education is not easily broken. Furthermore, finding funding for programs is an obstacle for IPE implementation. Still, these barriers can be overcome. Through faculty training conferences, skills sessions, and integration of IPE into current individual skills programs, many of the logistical concerns can be addressed. Psychosocial barriers can be attended to by ensuring students interact with one another and are forced to collaborate in simulation settings. Financial barriers can also be addressed through the development of long-term, more stable programs and providing paid faculty to specifically teach IPE programs. Additionally, through implementing a six-step plan involving problem identification, needs assessments, goals and objectives, educational strategies, implementation, and evaluation and feedback, curriculum can be strengthened and improve IPE program success. Incorporating the core IPE competencies of values and ethics, interprofessional communication, roles and responsibilities, and teams and teamwork will also help guide curricular development and ensure the full benefits of IPE are reaped in the future.
Throughout history, medical professionals have strived to provide patients with the best care possible. The overall goals of the medical profession are stated as “the relief of pain and suffering, the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, the forestalling of death and the promoting of a peaceful death, and the cure of disease when possible and the care of those who can not be cured.”(Callahan, 1998) In order to achieve these goals, health care providers are trained through rigorous curriculum and countless hours of clinical experience.
However, an increase in isolated career-based knowledge is not the only way to improve patient care. The field of healthcare consists of many different professions, all of which must work in harmony to care for patients. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of the collaboration between members of different healthcare fields can help to vastly improve quality of care. This teamwork, like other skills in the medical field, must be learned. It is vital for schools to have intentionally designed and appropriately taught interprofessional curriculum. As the field of interprofessional education grows and improves, medical professionals will be better able to perform their duties as providers and give patients the best care possible.