Non-clinician involvement in interprofessional health sciences education: educator experiences and attitudes

The objective of this study was to assess educator views on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by IPE facilitators and to explore their attitudes toward and experiences with non-clinician facilitators of IPE activities, particularly health sciences librarians.

This qualitative study utilized a novel questionnaire that included both multiple-choice and free-text questions. The latter were grounded in critical incident technique (CIT), a methodology that uses direct observations of human behavior to solve practical problems. The questionnaire was distributed electronically to the study's population of health sciences administrators, faculty, and staff in Texas who were involved with IPE. Multiple-choice data were analyzed via descriptive statistics, while free-text data were coded and analyzed via inductive thematic analysis principles.

There were 48 responses out of 131 individuals contacted directly for a response rate of 36.64%. Educators recognized a wide range of characteristics needed by IPE facilitators but viewed interpersonal skills as most important. While many reported experience with non-clinician facilitators of IPE activities, fewer had experience working with health sciences librarians in these roles. Educator attitudes toward non-clinician facilitators of IPE, including librarians, were largely positive.

The findings of this study indicated that educators view interpersonal skills and the ability to elicit engagement as more important skills for IPE facilitators than a relevant clinical background. With proper facilitator training, non-clinicians could build upon their existing skillsets and increase their involvement with IPE, creating a larger pool of potential facilitators. A greater availability of skilled facilitators could increase the incidence of IPE, potentially resulting in more collaborative care and improved patient outcomes.