Understanding Feedback for Learners in Interprofessional Settings - Coelho

Coelho, V., Scott, A.F., Elif Bilgiç, Keuhl, A. and Sibbald, M. (2022). Understanding Feedback for Learners in Interprofessional Settings: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, [online] 19(17), pp.10732–10732. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710732. 

The article explores how learners perceive and interact with feedback in an interprofessional context for learning.  It highlights the importance of feedback literacy, learning-goal orientation, trustworthiness and diversity in interprofessional teams.

Notes 

• The World Health Organization recognized IPE as an important strategy for addressing the global health workforce shortage. 

• The Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) defines IPE as the process of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with learners, practitioners, patients, families, and communities to improve health outcomes. 

• The CIHC National Interprofessional Competency Framework identifies six competency domains necessary for IPE: 

  • • communication, 

    • patient-centered care, 

    • role clarification, 

    • team functioning, 

    • collaborative leadership, and 

    • conflict resolution

• Interprofessional teams can include learners, nurses, physicians, physical therapists, pharmacists, technicians, rehabilitation specialists, social workers, and other professions involved in patient care. 

• Feedback is information about someone's work that helps them improve. It is an important part of learning, and it gives people a chance to see how well they are doing compared to what they should be doing. Getting helpful feedback in a timely manner can help people close the gap between their current performance and their desired performance. Feedback is also important in health education, as it can help people learn and improve their skills.

• Interprofessional teamwork, which includes feedback interactions, is recognized as important for quality patient care

• Feedback is not just a teacher giving criticism to a student. It is a more complex process.

• The article identifies four key concepts from the relevant outcomes of the selected studies: 

• • issues with the feedback process and the need for training,

  • perception of the feedback provider affects how the feedback is utilized, 

  • professions of the feedback provider affect the feedback process, and 

  • learners’ own attitude toward feedback can affect the feedback process

Additional notes 

Feedback should be tailored to the learning goals and assessment criteria of the interdisciplinary course or module. This will help learners understand the expectations and standards of their work, and how to meet them.

Feedback should be given promptly, be specific, and be helpful. It should be given as soon as possible after the learning activity or assessment, and should focus on the good and bad parts of the work, rather than the person. Feedback should also include suggestions for improvement and further development.

Feedback should be a conversation, not a one-way street (dialogue, not a monologue). It should involve active participation and interaction between the person giving the feedback and the person receiving it, as well as among peers. Feedback should encourage learners to ask questions, clear up any doubts, seek feedback from others, and reflect on their learning process and outcomes.

Feedback should be mindful of the diversity and complexity of interdisciplinary settings. It should take into account the different backgrounds, perspectives, values, and cultures of the learners and teachers involved in the interdisciplinary work. Feedback should also acknowledge