Moving the Interprofessional Education Research Agenda Beyond the Limits of Evaluating Student Satisfaction

Authors

  • Sharon Lawn Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Unit, Flinders University of South Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22230/jripe.2017v6n2a239

Keywords:

Interprofessional education, Qualitative research, Transformative education, Theory

Abstract

Background: Much of the research on the impact of interprofessional education (IPE) interventions is hampered by a lack of focus on whether they were successfully translated to effective interprofessional practice (IPP).

Methods and Findings: This article reports the outcomes of a think tank of Australian IPE researchers who articulated these gaps and brainstormed types of research and research questions needed to help address these gaps. A social constructivist theoretical approach was proposed, including more ethnographic and longitudinal investigation.

Conclusions: A greater focus on theory is needed to understand the underlying processes involved in IPE, IPP, and the transition between them. This will involve researchers employing more qualitative and mixed-method approaches in addition to the quantitative methods that appear to dominate this field, currently.

Author Biography

Sharon Lawn, Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Unit, Flinders University of South Australia

Professor Sharon Lawn is the Director of Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Unit within the Department of Psychiatry at Flinders University. Prior to this, she was a clinician for 24 years, in Community Aged Care and Mental Health Services. Sharon has led many research projects in the fields of Mental Health, Smoking, Carers' Perspectives, Health System Change, Health Workforce Development and Chronic Condition Management and Self-Management. She coordinates an interprofessional post-graduate course in the Chronic Condition Management field, teaches across several clinical programs and provides professional development workshop across Australia.

Downloads

Published

2016-12-15

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2017)

Section

Articles: Theory

License

JRIPE publishes original research in Interprofessional Practice and Education. It allows authors to maintain copyright in exchange for a limited term exclusive license to make the article publicly available; followed by a permanent non-exclusive licence to continue making the article available to users; and the right to make the article available through databases. It asks for 50 percent of any commercial fees payable for usage. Authors may, at any time, archive the work on their own site or that of their institution. Authors must indemnify the journal against damage; obtain any necessary permissions; and attest to the article’s originality and legitimate legal status.

Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute with the acknowledgement that this aricle was first published by the Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Education, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal.