International consensus statement on the assessment of interprofessional learning outcomes

Abstract

Regulatory frameworks around the world mandate that health and social care professional education programs graduate practitioners who have the competence and capability to practice effectively in interprofessional collaborative teams. Academic institutions are responding by offering interprofessional education (IPE); however, there is as yet no consensus regarding optimal strategies for the assessment of interprofessional learning (IPL). The Program Committee for the 17th Ottawa Conference in Perth, Australia in March, 2016, invited IPE champions to debate and discuss the current status of the assessment of IPL. A draft statement from this workshop was further discussed at the global All Together Better Health VIII conference in Oxford, UK in September, 2016. The outcomes of these deliberations and a final round of electronic consultation informed the work of a core group of international IPE leaders to develop this document. The consensus statement we present here is the result of the synthesized views of experts and global colleagues. It outlines the challenges and difficulties but endorses a set of desired learning outcome categories and methods of assessment that can be adapted to individual contexts and resources. The points of consensus focus on pre-qualification (pre-licensure) health professional students but may be transferable into post-qualification arenas.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the following colleagues who contributed to one or both of the international workshops conducted to support development of the consensus statement and reviewed a late draft of this paper: Mayumi Asahina (Japan), René Ballnus (Sweden), Christi Barbee (USA), Anthony Breitbach (USA), PC Chan (Australia), Kathy Chappell (USA), Tracy Christopherson (USA), Bronwyn Clark (Australia), Evan Colson (USA), Johanna Dahlburg (Sweden), Lauren DelRossi (USA), Rodney Fawcett (Australia), Kathryn Fitzgerald (Australia), Jenny Ford (UK), Philippa Friary (New Zealand), Gail Furman (USA), Sue Fyfe (Australia), Fraide Ganotice (Hong Kong), Julian Grant (Australia), Carole Haines (Australia), Marietta Handgraaf (Germany), Junji Haruta (Japan), Gwen Hollaar (Canada), Kazuichiro Hori (Japan), Bronwen Jones (Australia), Daniel R. Kambey (Indonesia), Sharla King (Canada), Bente Kvilhaugsvik (Norway), Neena Lakhani (UK), Sylvia Langlois (Canada), Susanne Lindqvist (UK), Tai Yuen Ling (Singapore), Dean Lising (Canada), Bronwyn Maddock (Australia), Cornelia Mahler (Germany), Steve Malcherczyk (UK), Minna Manninen (Finland), Mira Mette (Germany), Jennifer Newton (Australia), Ghada Said Mohammed Omar (Denmark), Mary Padden (USA), Andrew Papanikitas (UK), Kunal Patel (UK & Ireland), Nivritti Patil (Hong Kong), John Pugsley (Canada), Sue Pullon (New Zealand), Kate Regnier (USA), Lorna Rosenwax (Australia), Ikuko Sakai (Japan), Adrian Schoo (Australia), Dale Sheehan (New Zealand), Lawrence Sherman (USA), Toshinori Shimoi (Japan), Brian Simmons (Canada), Heather Simmons (Canada), Kay Skinner (Australia), Margaret Slusser (USA), Melanie Stephens (UK), Tiina Tervaskanto-Mäentausta (Finland), Jo Thomas (Australia), Yashushi Uchiyama (Japan), Essi Varkki (Finland), Susan Wagner (Canada), Pamela Walsh (USA), Helena Ward (Australia), Jennifer Wise (USA), Jewelry Yep (USA), Ali Yildirim (UK).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributors

Gary D. Rogers, MBBS, PhD is a Professor of Medical Education and Deputy Head (Learning & Teaching) at the School of Medicine, and the Program Lead for Interprofessional and Simulation-Based Learning at the Health Institute for the Development of Education and Scholarship (Health IDEAS) at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Jill E. Thistlethwaite, MBBS, PhD is a health professions education consultant, a medical adviser at NPS MedicineWise, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and a practising general practitioner.

Elizabeth S. Anderson, SRN, PhD is a Professor of Interprofessional Learning and Patient Safety Lead at Leicester Medical School, UK.

Madeleine Abrandt, Dahlgren PhD is a Professor of Health Professional Education in the Department of Medicine and Health Sciences at Linköping University, Sweden

Ruby Grymonpre, PharmD is a Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada

Monica Moran, DocSocSc, MPhil(OccThy) is an Associate Professor and Discipline Lead in Occupational Therapy at Central Queensland University, Australia.

Dujeepa D. Samarasekera, MHPE, FAMS is the Director of the Centre for Medical Education (CenMED) in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, Singapore