Towards a global partnership model in interprofessional education for cross-sector problem-solving

Area of Science:

• Global Health Education
• Interprofessional Practice
• Higher Education Partnerships

Background:

• Limited guidance exists for developing interprofessional education (IPE) programs co-implemented by external partners.
• IPE is vital for fostering global citizenship and cross-sector problem-solving skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the process of establishing global partnerships for co-implementing interprofessional education (IPE).
• To evaluate the preliminary outcomes of a co-implemented IPE program.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative study involving 747 health and social care students from four higher education institutions.
• Descriptive narrative and quantitative design to report on program implementation.
• Independent t-tests and analysis of variance used for pretest-posttest analysis.

Main Results:

• Key factors for successful cross-institutional IPE include expertise complementarity, mutual benefits, connectivity, design interactivity, and time difference management.
• Significant improvements observed in students' readiness for interprofessional learning (teamwork, collaboration, professional identity, roles).
• A significant reduction in students' social interaction anxiety was noted post-IPE simulation.

Conclusions:

• The described experiences offer a model for higher education institutions aiming to build external partnerships for interprofessional global health education.
• Meaningful partnerships are essential for successful interprofessional global health education initiatives.