724
Views
7
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

A survey of interprofessional education in communication skills in health care programmes in the UK

, , &
Pages 236-250 | Published online: 06 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

There is considerable evidence to indicate that patient satisfaction is directly related to the communication skills of health care providers. However, communication is an area in which health care practitioners often fail to meet patients' needs. Interprofessional education (IPE) is advocated as one way of improving health care communication for the consequent development of interprofessional care. However, poorly planned and delivered IPE can reinforce professional differences, so it is imperative that its introduction is based upon sound evidence of local need, opportunity and resources. A multidisciplinary and cross university project was designed to identify opportunities for, and best practice in, IPE in communication skills amongst undergraduate health care practitioners within one Workforce Development Directorate (WDD) in England. Methods included a comprehensive literature review of relevant educational initiatives, together with telephone and e-mail interviews with key informants in higher education institutions (HEIs) across the UK. This paper reports the findings from the interviews. Based upon these findings, a series of recommendations are made for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of IPE in communication skills, which should be taken into account by local curriculum planning groups.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.