Impact of interprofessional education on the teaching and learning of higher education students: A systematic review

This systematic review was to explore the potentialities and limitations of Interprofessional Education (IPE), from the perspective of undergraduate students.

The increasing complexity in health increasingly demand professionals with the capacity to act in the face of new global challenges. Thus, this pedagogical approach presents itself as one of the most promising choices in facing these new obstacles.

A synthesis of quantitative studies and mixed methods.

Studies involving quantitative analyzes were included, with no restriction on the date of publication and language. The search strategy was carried out in the electronic databases: PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Cochrane Library and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). In addition, searches were carried out in gray literature on the ERIC platforms (ProQuest), ProQuest Disserts and Theses Full text and Academic Google. The assessment of the quality of the studies was carried out using the instrument by Downs and Black. The risks of bias in the studies were examined with the aid of the adapted version of the Cochrane Collaboration tool, with the domains of the Downs and Black instrument.

After standardized filter procedures, critical summaries and assessment of relevance to the eligibility criteria, 11 articles were included. The results showed that most students have a positive perception of IPE, with different factors influencing this research finding. The need to develop more robust assessment instruments is highlighted, in view of the insufficiency of tools with sufficient methodological rigor to measure real changes in attitudes among different groups of students.

More consistent research is needed, which assesses, in a longitudinal way, the effects that the IPE has on the teaching and learning of undergraduate students and its impact after professional training.