Interdisciplinary health professional education: a historical review

A historical review was conducted to examine the advances made, nationally and internationally, in interdisciplinary health professional education since the mid-1960s. One hundred and nineteen articles were reviewed and divided by decade into the following subheadings: models, courses, communication/group process issues, and international perspectives. Twenty-seven articles, categorized as models, defined the conceptual field, described curriculum and program development, or provided a framework for evaluation. Thirty-two articles dealt with interdisciplinary courses, focusing on objectives, content areas, or innovative methods. Nine articles contributed content on interdisciplinary communication and group process issues, from which guidelines were abstracted. Fifty-one articles contributed an international perspective, leading to the recognition that interdisciplinary health professional education, practice, and research is a global movement.