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Background Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential in healthcare to enhance collaboration, communication and teamwork among health professions education students. This review aimed to map out the core competencies health professions education students develop during IPE and identify the positive and negative educational outcomes. Methods A comprehensive search strategy was developed and reported in accordance with the PRISMA ScR guidelines. The search was conducted across five electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO and EBSCO) for peer-reviewed articles published in English within the last 20 years. Data was extracted and core competencies were categorised into four defined areas—roles and responsibilities; interprofessional communication; values for interprofessional practice; teams and teamwork. The frequency of occurrence of each core competency, along with the positive and negative outcomes of IPE were analysed. Mixed methods analysis was used to integrate both qualitative and quantitative data. Results Team and teamwork emerged as the most frequently attained core competency in IPE. The positive impacts of IPE include significant improvements in role clarity, communication skills, and teamwork dynamics. However, negative impacts were also noted, such as logistical challenges and interpersonal issues like power dynamics and communication barriers, which impeded the personal professional growth and professional interactional skill-related benefits of IPE. Additionally, some participants reported feeling overwhelmed by the extra workload required for IPE activities. Conclusion IPE is a valuable component of health professions education, significantly contributing to the development of core competencies necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice. Addressing the challenges and implementing best practices can further enhance the effectiveness of IPE programs, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes. The implications for practice, training of healthcare students and future research are discussed.

The link between miscommunication and poor patient outcomes has been well documented. To understand the current state of knowledge regarding interprofessional communication, an integrative review was performed. The review suggested that nurses and physicians are trained differently and they exhibit differences in communication styles. The distinct frustrations that nurses and physicians expressed with each other were discussed. Egos, lack of confidence, lack of organization and structural hierarchies hindered relationships and communications. Research suggested that training programs with the use of standardized tools and simulation are effective in improving interprofessional communication skills. Recommendations include education beyond communication techniques to address the broader related constructs of patient safety, valuing diversity, team science, and cultural humility. Future directions in education are to add courses in patient safety to the curriculum, use handover tools that are interprofessional in nature, practice in simulation hospitals for training, and use virtual simulation to unite the professions.

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in healthcare is regarded as important by professionals, as it increases the quality of care while decreasing costs. Interprofessional education (IPE) is a prerequisite for IPC and influences learners’ attitudes, knowledge, and collaboration skills. Since attitudes shape behavior, understanding how they are formed is crucial for influencing IPC in learners’ professional practice. We investigated what kind of IPE works, for which students, how, and in what circumstances to develop positive attitudes towards IPC. Using realist synthesis, we extracted causal mechanisms that produce positive attitude outcomes and the conducive contexts that trigger them. Our analysis resulted in six plausible context-mechanism-outcome configurations that explain positive attitude development. Positive IPC attitudes are more likely to arise in contexts where IPE provides time and facilities for formal and informal interactions, as this allows learners to get to know each other both professionally and personally, fostering trust, respect, and mutual liking. Additionally, positive attitudes are more likely in contexts where the IPE curriculum is perceived as career-relevant and boosts confidence. Key mechanisms of positive attitude development include getting to know the other learners professionally and personally, experiencing positive affect during IPE, and learners experiencing mutual dependence. Sustained positive attitudes are more likely to develop when there is organizational support for IPC and professionals attend IPE on an ongoing basis, allowing the attitudes and values expected in IPC to be positively reinforced and eventually integrated into the learners’ personal value system.

Background Despite the essential role of interprofessional collaboration in neurology, to improve patient outcomes, targeted research on interprofessional learning (IPL) interventions during neurology clerkships remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impact of a brief interactive IPL workshop on interprofessional identity among medical students. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, neurology clerkship students ( N  = 39) were allocated to either a 90-min interactive IPL workshop or a non-interactive control session. We assessed outcomes by triangulating findings across Extended Professional Identity Scale (EPIS-G) scores, challenges and opportunities perceived by students, and reflective responses on interprofessional identity and applicability. Results On a group level, The IPL intervention group ( n  = 27) demonstrated improvements in all domains of interprofessional identity on the EPIS-G (paired samples t-test, p  < 0.001) which was not observed in the control group ( n  = 10). Communication challenges and resource limitations were primary concerns among students, while information sharing and enhanced patient care emerged as key opportunities. Qualitative analysis highlighted students’ increased commitment to collaboration, openness to teamwork, and recognition of the patient care benefits inherent in collaborative practices. Conclusions An interactive 90-min IPL workshop within a neurology clerkship can initiate medical students’ interprofessional identity formation. Students' insights into relevant challenges and opportunities indicate their basic understanding of the complexity of collaborative practice. This study supports the future integration of IPL specifically within neurology to advance collaborative practice.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is widely recognized as essential for fostering collaborative healthcare practices and improving patient outcomes. Despite its acknowledged importance, there remains a notable scarcity of longitudinal research assessing medical students' readiness for IPE across distinct educational stages, particularly within diverse global contexts like Brazil. This study sought to address this gap by longitudinally mapping and analyzing the evolution of medical students' readiness for interprofessional learning throughout their academic training at a Brazilian university. Employing a quantitative longitudinal design, 53 medical students from the 2021 cohort completed the validated Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) at three critical time points: upon university entry (2021), at the conclusion of the basic science cycle (2022), and at the end of the clinical cycle (2024). Temporal changes were assessed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant global differences were observed over time in the \"Teamwork and collaboration\" and \"Patient-centered care\" dimensions. Specifically, \"Patient-centered care\" exhibited a non-linear pattern, characterized by an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease. In contrast, the \"Professional identity\" dimension demonstrated remarkable stability across all measurement points. These findings reveal the complex and dynamic nature of interprofessional readiness development during medical education. They strongly advocate for the early introduction of IPE, coupled with sustained and adaptive interventions throughout the entire educational continuum, particularly to address fluctuations in patient-centered attitudes and to foster an interprofessional identity from the outset. This study offers crucial empirical insights for optimizing IPE strategies and preparing future physicians for collaborative practice.

Background Complexity science has been introduced in healthcare as a theoretical framework to better understand complex situations. Interdisciplinary healthcare teams can be viewed as Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) by focusing more on the team members’ interaction with each other than on the characteristics of individual team members. Viewing teams in this way can provide us with insights into the origins of team behaviour. The aim of this study is to describe the functioning of a healthcare team as it originates from the members’ interactions using the CAS principles as a framework and to explore factors influencing workplace learning as emergent behaviour. Methods An interview study was done with 21 palliative home-care nurses, 20 community nurses and 18 general practitioners in Flanders, Belgium. A two-step analysis consisted of a deductive approach, which uses the CAS principles as coding framework for interview transcripts, followed by an inductive approach, which identifies patterns in the codes for each CAS principle. Results All CAS principles were identified in the interview transcripts of the three groups. The most prevalent principles in our study were principles with a structuring effect on team functioning: team members act autonomously guided by internalized basic rules; attractors shape the team functioning; a team has a history and is sensitive to initial conditions; and a team is an open system, interacting with its environment. The other principles, focusing on the result of the structuring principles, were present in the data, albeit to a lesser extent: team members’ interactions are non-linear; interactions between team members can produce unpredictable behaviour; and interactions between team members can generate new behaviour. Patterns, reflecting team behaviour, were recognized in the coding of each CAS principle. Patterns of team behaviour, identified in this way, were linked to interprofessional competencies of the Interprofessional Collaboration Collaborative. Factors influencing workplace learning were identified. Conclusions This study provides us with insights into the origin of team functioning by explaining how patterns of interactions between team members define team behaviour. Viewing healthcare teams as Complex Adaptive Systems may offer explanations of different aspects of team behaviour with implications for education, practice and research.

Objective. Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is integral to a high-functioning healthcare system, yet little is understood about whether attitudes, knowledge and beliefs towards IPCP differ between professional groups or clinical settings. Methods. This cross-sectional study used three surveys: the Systems Thinking Scale, Attitudes Towards Health Care Teams, and the adapted Interprofessional Collaboration Scale, to compare systems thinking and the perceptions and attitudes of healthcare professionals in a large metropolitan health service. Participants included medical, nursing, allied health and oral health professionals across hospital and community settings. Results. A total of 293 participants (57% hospital-based, 43% community; 40% nursing, 8% medicine, 46% allied health, 6% oral health) completed the surveys. Results demonstrated differences in communication and attitudes towards IPCP across professional groups. Conclusions. While all professional groups acknowledged the importance of IPCP, distinctions persisted across professions and settings. Understanding attitudes within various professions and contexts establishes the foundation for targeted strategies aimed at promoting interprofessional collaboration in health care.

Poorly controlled cancer pain leads to increased morbidity and decreased quality of life. This integrative review aims to strengthen cancer pain management practices by identifying the effectiveness of multimodal interprofessional pain management (MIPM) in treating cancer pain, current MIPM practices, and barriers and facilitators to implementation. The following three databases were searched for literature exploring MIPM in the oncologic setting: PubMed®, CINAHL®, and Embase®. This integrative review included 16 articles published from 2013 to 2023 that explored the use of MIPM in adult patients with cancer. Adult patients with cancer receiving MIPM reported reduced pain intensity or interference. With MIPM, the number of patients reporting moderate to severe pain or undertreated pain decreased, and the number of patients reporting adequate pain management increased. In addition, patients receiving MIPM reported improvements in physical and psychosocial cancer-related symptoms. The components of MIPM are recommended to be used in conjunction with each other for optimal patient outcomes. To optimize the use of MIPM, improving provider knowledge and interprofessional care coordination and communication is warranted.

Background Community health workers (CHWs) can bridge the gap between health and social services and the communities they serve. CHWs can work collaboratively with healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists, in addressing peoples' social determinants of health. However, little is known about how CHWs and pharmacists collaborate. We aimed to explore the interprofessional collaboration between pharmacists and CHWs in Australia and New Zealand and identify the challenges and strategies in their collaborative practice. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with pharmacists and CHWs in Australia and New Zealand, to explore (i) CHW‐pharmacist interprofessional collaboration experiences, (ii) how pharmacists perceived CHWs' roles and vice‐versa, (iii), challenges to collaborative practices and (iv) strategies to foster their collaboration. Interviews took around half‐an‐hour and were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim, and inductively thematically analysed. Results Twenty‐nine participants (16 pharmacists and 13 CHWs) were interviewed, 19 worked in Australia and 10 in New Zealand. Participants reported that CHWs connected the patient and the pharmacist and helped bridge cultural gaps, shared patient‐related information with the pharmacist, supported patient medication management and adherence, and referred patients to pharmacists. CHWs helped patients to take up pharmacy services and reinforced pharmacists' recommendations. There was a lack of clarity regarding each other's role, but pharmacists and CHWs acknowledged the benefit of each other's roles. Key challenges to collaborative practices were poor communication between CHWs and pharmacists, and lack of guidelines on the collaborative practices. Strategies to promote collaboration included clarification of their roles, improving the working relationship and knowledge of the mutual benefits of collaboration. Conclusions The study identified some collaborative practices between CHWs and pharmacists. However, challenges remain, including a lack of clarity regarding CHWs' roles by pharmacists. Future research should focus on improving knowledge of the mutual benefits of collaboration, and codesigning a CHW‐pharmacist collaborative intervention with guidelines to standardise and foster collaboration. Patient or Public Contribution Patients, service users, care‐givers, people with lived experience or members of the public were not involved in the study design or conduct of study, analysis or interpretation of the data or in preparation of the manuscript.

Interprofessional care teams have become essential in modern healthcare, addressing the complex needs of patients through collaborative efforts among diverse professionals. This article explores the significant impact of healthcare administration on the effectiveness and functionality of these teams. As healthcare systems evolve, the integration of various disciplines—such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, and therapy—has proven to enhance the quality of care and promote a holistic approach to patient management. However, the success of interprofessional teams is heavily influenced by the administrative framework within which they operate. Healthcare administrators play a crucial role in shaping the environment that fosters or hinders collaboration. They are responsible for establishing policies, allocating resources, and creating a culture that values teamwork and communication. Effective administration can facilitate clear communication channels, define roles and responsibilities, and provide necessary training and resources, thereby empowering team members to work cohesively. Conversely, inadequate administrative support can lead to fragmentation, role ambiguity, and inefficiencies, ultimately compromising patient care. This article delves into the intricate relationship between interprofessional care teams and healthcare administration, highlighting the challenges faced by these teams, such as communication barriers, role clarity, and resistance to change. It emphasizes the need for proactive leadership and strategic planning to cultivate an environment conducive to interprofessional collaboration. Furthermore, the article discusses future directions for enhancing interprofessional care through technology integration, lifelong learning, and policy advocacy. In conclusion, the effectiveness of interprofessional care teams is inextricably linked to the support provided by healthcare administration. By prioritizing collaborative practices and fostering a culture of teamwork, healthcare administrators can significantly improve patient outcomes and enhance the overall quality of care. This exploration underscores the critical role of administration in shaping the future of interprofessional collaboration in healthcare settings.