1. DEFINITION: Interprofessional Education occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care. (CAIPE 2002) 1 PRINCIPLES AND AIMS OF INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (IPE) IPE aims to improve the quality of care by placing the needs of the service users and their carers at the centre of practice as well as involving them in evaluation of the services. Mutual respect is essential to IPE, encouraging the equal participation of all involved as well as providing an opportunity to learn about the roles and skills of other professionals. The intended outcome is essentially the delivery of higher quality care and so greater professional satisfaction as well as improved collaboration across the health care discipline. 1 CONCLUSION: Since its introduction, IPE has become increasingly popular as more and more individuals become aware of its importance and value. Although it may be faced with some negativity, IPE has been shown to be quite effective in fulfilling its aims and objectives. There is limited evidence in support of how increased collaboration and teamwork lead to improved patient care. 4 REFERENCES: 1 http://www.caipe.org.uk/ - Accessed 28/o5/2010.http://www.caipe.org.uk/ 2 Rose MA. Journal of Allied Health. 38(4):196-200, 2009. 3 Coster S.International Journal of Nursing Studies. 45(11):1667-81, 2008 Nov. 4 Mattick K.Medical Education. 37(11):1008-11, 2003 Nov. None of us is as smart as all of us. (K Blanchard) Interprofessional Learning and Working None of us is as good as all of us. (K Blanchard) A WORKING EXAMPLE - MR G: Bramcote Hospital is a community hospital that provides care and rehabilitation for adults. During my placement there, I met Mr G, a 54 year old male who was initially admitted to hospital with chest pain and following surgery for an aortic valve replacement, suffered a stroke. This left him virtually immobile and severely affected his vision and speech. During my placement I was able to observe the contribution of the various health care professionals involved in Mr Gs care. He was monitored daily by the nursing staff and doctors, his dietary needs were addressed by the dietician and a speech and language therapist was also consulted. Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists also played a fundamental role in his daily care. Although their roles seemed to overlap a little, there was a clear distinction. The overlap in roles was advantageous in some ways as it allowed increased sharing of responsibilities. Mr G was also referred for psychiatric assessment. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: My first experience of IPE was IPLP, an online programme promoting interprofessional learning. It was based around a patient journey of various scenarios on which a team of health professionals (students) worked to deliver the best solution. IPLP aimed to overcome communication barriers that may have existed and highlight the importance of delivering holistic, patient centred care. Despite my limited experience of online learning, I found myself enjoying the daily interactions with the other students and learned much about their roles and responsibilities. IPE - IS IT REALLY NECESSARY? The importance of interprofessional education and practice is becoming increasingly recognized and is implemented by many institutions. As well as educating individuals about the roles of other health professionals, such programmes provide a platform for challenging and changing pre-existing stereotypes. For example, in a study of 474 students of the health sciences it was found that those studying medicine and physical therapy rated themselves higher in areas of competence and need for cooperation compared to those in nursing and occupational therapy. 2 DOES IT REALLY WORK? Much investment is involved in the organization and delivery of educational/ training programmes that promote interprofessional working. Evidence suggests that introducing IPE early on in the education of healthcare students is necessary to capitalise on their readiness for interprofessional learning and professional identities. However, students with initial, negative attitudes towards IPE are seen to gain the least from such courses and any unrewarding experiences only enforce this. 3 Author: K Khan