Benefits of IPE

The benefits of interprofessional education:

The systematic reviews of the research literature suggest that more research is needed about whether and how pre-licensure interprofessional collaborative practice impacts patient outcomes, but there is evidence that it has a positive effect on:

• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of other professional groups

• Learners’ attitudes towards one another’s professions

• Knowledge of the nature of interprofessional collaboration

• Actual collaborative behaviour in practice

• Organizational practice (referral practices, documentation)

• Delivery of care (patient satisfaction, length of stay)

• Clinical outcomes (clinical error rates, infection rates)

References:

[1] Reeves, S. (2009). An overview of continuing interprofessional education. Journal of Continuing Education in Health Professions, 29(3), 142-46.

[2] Reeves, S., Goldman, J., Burton, A., & Sawatzky-Girling, B. (2010). Synthesis of systematic review evidence of interprofesional education. Journal of Allied Health, 39, 198-203.