Advocated by international organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when two or more professionals learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes (WHO, 2010). IPE is a crucial element for enhancing health outcomes and readiness for healthcare workers. Each healthcare profession – such as medicine, nursing or pharmacy – has a distinct culture, including values, beliefs, attitudes, customs and behaviours (Hall, 2005). Designing an IPE programme involves a collaborative team equipped with expertise not only in their professions but also in innovative teaching methods. This blog post explores the current pedagogy applied in IPE and investigates some of the challenges posed by the use of technology in IPE.

Some of the most-used technologies in IPE involve high-fidelity simulators, virtual reality simulation and online discussion. High-fidelity simulators create realistic scenarios to mimic real-world situations, and enhance healthcare knowledge by improving students’ attitudes towards interprofessional learning and professional identity, fostering teamwork, and potentially benefiting patient care through innovative educational technologies (Burford et al., 2020; Cooper-loelu & Jowsey, 2022). Collaborated cases are useful for fostering learning within each of the professional practices, with a wide variety of medical cases, teamwork, mental health cases and difficult conversations (Herx-Weaver et al., 2024). Debriefing is a crucial process of the simulation process. If resources allow, a video-assisted debriefing after a simulated clinical session can improve the debriefing experience, simulation assessment, reflection and satisfaction. It does not increase anxiety, as compared with oral debriefing (Rueda-Medina et al., 2024). Educators can consider including video-debriefing technology if resources are available.

‘Virtual reality simulation allows educators to create immersive environments for students to practise procedures and interact with the virtual patients in realistic settings … but the impact of IPE VR simulation may be limited.’

With the advancement of technology, virtual reality (VR) simulation also shows promising results in IPE. Educators can create immersive environments for students to practise procedures and interact with the virtual patients in realistic settings, allowing students to practise, while teachers can assess skills without geographical and time limitations. However, the impact of IPE VR simulation might be limited, with the lack of hands-on involvement and engagement of healthcare students in a real-world interprofessional medical ward round. It poses a major constraint to the transferability of learning to actual clinical practice (Liaw et al., 2022). Further pedagogical research will inform the transferability of VR simulation in the future.

Online IPE interventions could be another option, with lower costs. Instant feedback can help students to reflect and purposefully develop their critical thinking. Recently, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been widely adopted in education. IPE can happen without any facilitator; however, we must be very careful, especially when training health professionals who require a human touch. Caring about the patients’ emotions with an empathetic attitude and making ethical considerations should be carefully handled.

Educators need to overcome some challenges in adopting simulation in IPE. One major challenge is accommodating the curriculum of each profession, due to time constraints and potential impacts on curriculum scheduling. Frequent communication and meetings are required within the teaching teams. To facilitate IPE, it is essential to support faculty development in understanding the interprofessional context and debriefing. Resources should be planned for formal training – with peer observation, mentoring and feedback – alongside adherence to recognised best practice.

To conclude, technology offers significant advantages to educators by providing a platform for learning to occur anywhere, with authentic experiences. However, education institutions need to evaluate optimal methods for incorporating technology into IPE and address the complex needs of different professions. Further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of various innovative technologies in IPE.

References

Burford, B., Greig, P., Kelleher, M., Merriman, C., Platt, A., Richards, E., … & Vance, G. (2020). Effects of a single interprofessional simulation session on medical and nursing students’ attitudes toward interprofessional learning and professional identity: A questionnaire study. BMC Medical Education, 20, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-1971-6

Cooper-Ioelu, P., & Jowsey, T. (2022). Interprofessional identity: An ethnography of clinical simulation learning in New Zealand. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-03054-3  

Hall, P. (2005). Interprofessional teamwork: Professional cultures as barriers. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 19(1), 188–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820500081745

Herx-Weaver, A., Bajwa, M., & Palaganas, J. C. (2024). Prelicensure simulation as a platform for interprofessional education: A systematic review update of the 2016–2021 literature. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 100702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2024.100702

Liaw, S. Y., Ooi, S. L., Mildon, R., Ang, E. N. K., Lau, T. C., & Chua, W. L. (2022). Translation of an evidence-based virtual reality simulation-based interprofessional education into health education curriculums: An implementation science method. Nurse Education Today, 110, 105262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105262

Rueda-Medina, B., Reina-Cabello, J. C., Buendía-Castro, M., Aguilar-Ferrándiz, M. E., Gil-Gutiérrez, R., Tapia-Haro, R. M., … & Correa-Rodríguez, M. (2024). Effectiveness of video-assisted debriefing versus oral debriefing in simulation-based interdisciplinary health professions education: A randomized trial. Nurse Education in Practice, 75, 103901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103901   

World Health Organization [WHO]. (2010). Framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/70185