Consensus on interprofessional facilitator capabilities

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional education is one of many strategies aimed at addressing the healthcare workforce crisis. Few educators in healthcare professions have been exposed to interprofessional education (IPE) or have experienced collaborative practice (CP), because health professionals have traditionally been trained in silos. Interprofessional facilitators must acquire a new skillset as expert facilitation of learning is essential for successful interprofessional education. Seven experts participated in a Delphi survey to reach consensus on the capabilities required of interprofessional facilitators. All capabilities discussed should be included in the faculty development programme based on 80% agreement, standard deviation <1.5 and content validity index ≥.8. However, facilitation of learning, teamwork, role clarification as well as development of reflexivity is less essential than the other capabilities based on the low content validity ratio of .43. Surprisingly, and contrary to literature, the use of standardised tools that incorporate social determinants of health seems not to be essential with a content validity ratio (CVR) of −.14. Interprofessional facilitator capabilities that may promote transformative learning in health profession students have been identified and prioritised. These interprofessional facilitator capabilities are deemed to be essential for the development of an effective and collaborative healthcare workforce.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional
• facilitator
• faculty development
• Delphi
• continuous interprofessional education

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank the expert panel for their participation in the Delphi survey and the AfrIPEN team in formulating the capabilities.

Conflict of interest

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the article.