ER2 – Interprofessional education and research towards better health outcomes

Link to EAHP Statements

• Section 4 – Clinical Pharmacy: Statements – 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6
• Section 5 – Patient Safety and Quality Assurance: Statements – 5.2, 5.5
• Section 6 – Education and Research: Statement Statements – 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4

Abstract

The in­creased complexity of healthcare systems, the high degree of specialisation with­in the health professions, the burden of non-communicable diseases, scarcity of healthcare providers require effective collaboration among health professionals to optimise patient health outcomes. Collaboration, a term commonly used in health professions’ education, research and clinical practice, occurs when two or more entities work together to produce a desired and shared outcome. Interprofessional education, the process of preparing people for collaborative practice, is defined as occasions when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve the quality of care. Additional values of interprofessional research are different expertise, ways of thinking and approaches to problems.

To develop and maintain interprofessional clinical practice we need partnerships, shared decision making, mutual respect and trust, responsibility and accountability, among healthcare providers. Interprofessional models in education, research and clinical practice need to support students and young professionals to understand their own professional identity while gaining an understanding of other professional’s roles on the healthcare team.

Within the seminar, a few successful interprofessional models in education, research and practice from different countries will be presented and discussed.

Learning objectives

After the session, participants should be able to:

• Understand the advantages of interprofessional education and research for healthcare outcomes
• Identify constraints that affect implementation of interprofessional practice
• Understand collaborative interprofessional team characteristics and behaviour 

Educational need addressed

Complex medical issues are optimally addressed by interprofessional teams and hospital pharmacists need to be prepared to work in collaborative healthcare teams.   

Keywords

Interprofessional education, interprofessional research, collaboration, healthcare team