ER2 – Interprofessional education related to medication safety

Link to EAHP Statements
Section 4 – Clinical Pharmacy: Statements – 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6,4.7
Section 5 – Patient Safety and Quality Assurance: Statements – 5.2, 5.5
Section 6 – Education and Research: Statements – 6.1, 6.2, 6.3

Abstract
Interprofessional education (IPE) promotes collaborative learning between healthcare professionals to enhance patient safety and improve health outcomes. Medication errors are common, often preventable and a major cause of patient harm. Factors contributing to medication safety include miscommunication, lack of knowledge and insufficient collaboration between healthcare providers. IPE addresses these challenges by promoting teamwork and communication skills among students and professionals from various healthcare disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy and allied health professions. Through structured IPE initiatives, learners engage in collaborative learning experiences that emphasize the importance of medication management, error prevention strategies, and the role of various healthcare professions in ensuring patient safety.
IPE can significantly improve participants’ understanding of drug safety protocols and their ability to collaborate in the clinical setting. By simulating real-life scenarios and fostering interprofessional dialogue, IPE equips current and future healthcare providers with the necessary skills to recognise potential medication-related problems and implement effective solutions. It also promotes a culture of safety and accountability, which is essential to reducing the incidence of medication errors.
IPE is an important framework for addressing medication safety challenges in healthcare. By fostering collaboration and communication among future healthcare professionals, IPE not only improves individual competencies, but also contributes to the overall quality of care, ultimately leading to better patient safety outcomes. A continued emphasis on IPE in healthcare education is essential to prepare a workforce capable of handling the complexities of medication management in diverse clinical settings.

Learning objectives
After the session, the participant should be able to:
Understand the importance of interprofessional education in medication safety.
Recognise barriers that affect the implementation of interprofessional medication safety practises.
Discuss the role of hospital pharmacists in interprofessional education.

Educational need addressed
Medication safety must be addressed by interprofessional teams, and hospital pharmacists must be prepared to work in collaborative healthcare teams.

Keywords
Interprofessional education, medication safety, health care team.