We have a large and growing body of evidence that patients benefit from well-coordinated care delivered by well-functioning teams of health professionals. Yet, we have too many examples of poorly functioning teams in the practice world and we continue to educate and train health professionals separately, and do not teach them team skills or mutual understanding of different professional roles and contributions. That’s why, since 2008, the Macy Foundation has supported efforts to demonstrate or encourage interprofessional education (IPE) and teamwork among health care professionals.
In April, the Foundation convened all of its grantees working in IPE, as well as participants in Macy-funded IPE activities. The purpose of the meeting was to share successes and lessons from the work of each organization; identify opportunities for collaboration; and define directions for future work in IPE.
A report from the conference is now available. The monograph provides an overview of the working sessions which focused on content and pedagogy in IPE, as well as panel discussions on challenges with IPE and in integrating education and health care delivery. Also included are summaries of the grantees’ IPE work. Download the monograph.
The Conference on Interprofessional Education was held in Alexandria, VA, April 1-3, 2012. Read more about the conference.