Interprofessional education-relevant accreditation standards in Canada: a comparative document analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Healthcare Policy

Background:

• Sustainable interprofessional education (IPE) delivery is linked to improved collaborative practice and patient outcomes.
• The Accreditation of Interprofessional Health Education (AIPHE) project aimed to integrate IPE into Canadian health professions' accreditation standards.
• This study assesses the impact of the AIPHE project by evaluating IPE language in accreditation standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accountability of Interprofessional Education (IPE) language in Canadian health professions' accreditation standards.
• To determine if IPE language spans the five domains identified by the AIPHE project.
• To inform future IPE accreditation efforts globally.

Main Methods:

• Comparative content analysis of accreditation standards documents for 11 Canadian health professions.
• Identification and examination of "accountable" statements related to IPE.
• Analysis of the scope of IPE language across accreditation standards domains.

Main Results:

• 77 IPE-relevant accountable statements were found across 13 documents for 11 professions.
• Chiropractic, pharmacy, and physiotherapy documents contained nearly 50% of the statements.
• Most statements focused on "Students" and "Educational program," with inconsistent or missing IPE definitions.

Conclusions:

• While IPE is referenced in accreditation standards, the focus on students and programs may hinder its sustainable development and implementation.
• Accreditation language needs refinement to fully support the goals of Interprofessional Education (IPE).
• Findings offer insights for emerging IPE accreditation systems worldwide seeking to improve educational and health outcomes.