The effectiveness of faculty development activities for interprofessional education : A systematic review protocol

Despite increasing international demand for interprofessional education (IPE) in health care, there remains limited understanding of the kind of faculty development (FD) activities needed. This paper reports on a protocol for a systematic review to answer the question: What are the available FD activities for IPE facilitators, and which are more effective? The review aims to identify principles and methods to develop competent facilitators in IPE and to identify the implications and effects of FD for IPE concerning individuals, organizations, education, and health practice. Literature was identified through systematic searches in the electronic databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Eric (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO), Scopus, and Web of Science. There will be no restrictions on language or publication period. Screening of potential studies will be completed independently by at least two reviewers. The research quality of studies will be assessed for methodological rigor using established instruments based on the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Search results will be summarized using the PRISMA flow diagram. The proposed review seeks to provide clarity on the evidence base of FD for IPE facilitators, to strengthen future design and delivery of FD activities, and to enable ongoing success of this educational model.