Interprofessional educational in health based on the framework for action on interprofessional education & collaborative practice: A systematic review

Abstract

Interprofessional Education (IPE) in health is a strategy with an historical evolution and theoretical contribution with which many educators are not familiar. This study analysed the theoretical and conceptual contribution of IPE, comparing the “Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice” with more recent publications of higher impact factor from the Web of Science. This is a systematic review based on the following descriptors: interprofessional education, undergraduate, university program and university degree. The study includes articles from 2011 to March 2018, excluding systematic review articles and/or those analysing one single professional category. Two independent researchers reached an agreement on divergences about the corpus in a consensus meeting. Of the 65 initially identified articles, 29 were selected upon full reading of the texts for a thematic analysis of content and NVivo version 11. Five thematic categories were prepared: Assumptions, Basic Theories, Curriculum, Mechanisms and Research. Even though the analysed material is scarce in the conceptual propositions of IPE, there is progress being made in the use of theories (cultural, educational, and psychosocial, among others) towards developing programmes, assessment and evidence research. The theoretical and conceptual progress of this field will require consolidating research associated with IPE programmes. Study limitations were due to non-inclusion of articles with other impact factors.