Undergraduate Health Professional Student Perceptions/Attitudes towards Interprofessional Education (IPE): A Qualitative Study

The introduction of IPE into healthcare professions curricula has become an important aim globally. The aim of this paper is to investigate the comments of different health professional students regarding IPE. This will illuminate the issues impacting on health professional teams and the needs and challenges for IPE in Sri Lanka. A cross sectional study was conducted with 541students who have had prior clinical training for a period of one year, from 3 health professional groups (Medical, Physiotherapy, Nursing diploma, Nursing degree) at different health educational institutions. The free comments regarding IPE were considered. The comments were analyzed independently. Five key themes emerged from the analysis of the transcription (1) Patients benefits from IPE (29.4 %) (2) Enable to facilitate team work skills in to clinical practice (24.5 %). Enhance communication skills and IPE (16.8 %), (4) Barriers to practicing IPE (12.6 %), (5) Development of health education institutions (9.8 %). IPE is an essential component in helping to develop good working relationship, attitudes and behavior. Using IPE to practice is much desired but often faces practical barriers. It is proposed that IPE is most effective in promoting patient care, teamwork and communication skills.