DEFINITION:

1
Interprofessional Learning and Working
Author K Khan
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE My first experience of IPE
was IPLP, an online programme promoting
interprofessional learning. It was based around a
patient journey of various scenarios on which a
team of health professionals (students) worked to
deliver the best solution. IPLP aimed to
overcome communication barriers that may have
existed and highlight the importance of
delivering holistic, patient centred care.
Despite my limited experience of online
learning, I found myself enjoying the daily
interactions with the other students and learned
much about their roles and responsibilities.
DOES IT REALLY WORK? Much investment is involved
in the organization and delivery of educational/
training programmes that promote
interprofessional working. Evidence suggests
that introducing IPE early on in the education of
healthcare students is necessary to capitalise
on their readiness for interprofessional learning
and professional identities. However, students
with initial, negative attitudes towards IPE are
seen to gain the least from such courses and any
unrewarding experiences only enforce this.3
DEFINITION Interprofessional Education occurs
when two or more professions learn with, from and
about each other to improve collaboration and the
quality of care. (CAIPE 2002)1
PRINCIPLES AND AIMS OF INTERPROFESSIONAL
EDUCATION (IPE) IPE aims to improve the quality
of care by placing the needs of the service users
and their carers at the centre of practice as
well as involving them in evaluation of the
services. Mutual respect is essential to IPE,
encouraging the equal participation of all
involved as well as providing an opportunity to
learn about the roles and skills of other
professionals. The intended outcome is
essentially the delivery of higher quality care
and so greater professional satisfaction as well
as improved collaboration across the health care
discipline.1
None of us is as smart as all of us. (K
Blanchard)
None of us is as good as all of us. (K
Blanchard)
A WORKING EXAMPLE - MR G Bramcote Hospital is a
community hospital that provides care and
rehabilitation for adults. During my placement
there, I met Mr G, a 54 year old male who was
initially admitted to hospital with chest pain
and following surgery for an aortic valve
replacement, suffered a stroke. This left him
virtually immobile and severely affected his
vision and speech. During my placement I
was able to observe the contribution of the
various health care professionals involved in Mr
Gs care. He was monitored daily by the nursing
staff and doctors, his dietary needs were
addressed by the dietician and a speech and
language therapist was also consulted.
Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists also
played a fundamental role in his daily care.
Although their roles seemed to overlap a little,
there was a clear distinction. The overlap in
roles was advantageous in some ways as it allowed
increased sharing of responsibilities. Mr G was
also referred for psychiatric assessment.

• CONCLUSION
• Since its introduction, IPE has become
  increasingly popular as more and more individuals
  become aware of its importance and value.
• Although it may be faced with some negativity,
  IPE has been shown to be quite effective in
  fulfilling its aims and objectives.
• There is limited evidence in support of how
  increased collaboration and teamwork lead to
  improved patient care.4

IPE - IS IT REALLY NECESSARY? The importance of
interprofessional education and practice is
becoming increasingly recognized and is
implemented by many institutions. As well as
educating individuals about the roles of other
health professionals, such programmes provide a
platform for challenging and changing
pre-existing stereotypes. For example, in a study
of 474 students of the health sciences it was
found that those studying medicine and physical
therapy rated themselves higher in areas of
competence and need for cooperation compared to
those in nursing and occupational therapy.2
REFERENCES 1 http//www.caipe.org.uk/ - Accessed
28/o5/2010. 2 Rose MA. Journal of Allied Health.
38(4)196-200, 2009. 3 Coster S.International
Journal of Nursing Studies. 45(11)1667-81, 2008
Nov. 4 Mattick K.Medical Education.
37(11)1008-11, 2003 Nov.