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Abstract
It is widely assumed that interprofessional learning (IPL) impacts positively on interprofessional working (IPW) in health and social care. However, there is no clear evidence that pre-qualifying IPL improves service delivery. The direct effect of pre-qualifying IPL on IPW and service delivery is difficult to demonstrate; researchers must rely on professionals' self-report in this regard. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study in which semi-structured interviews were used to collect individuals' views and perceptions about pre-qualifying IPL as preparation for practice. Two groups of participants came from four health and social care professions: adult nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and social work. One group had experienced a substantial pre-qualifying IPL initiative, while the other group had not. Useful insights were gained from comparing the views and perceptions of individuals from these two groups. The total sample comprised 29 practitioners: 19 were educated on interprofessional curricula and 10 on traditional uniprofessional curricula. Thematic data analysis produced findings about pre-qualifying education as preparation for IPW. These findings suggest that pre-qualifying IPL can prepare individuals to work effectively as qualified professionals with colleagues from other disciplines and that effective IPW impacts positively on service delivery.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all the participants who so generously gave their time to this study. This study was funded jointly by the UK Higher Education Academy Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre and the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.