eFIT: Learning together whilst working together
This project was funded by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust and was set up to look at how the implementation of regular interprofessional meetings on one ward could effect service change. The meetings had an educational focus and team members learnt with, from and about one another. An independent researcher observed six of the meetings over a five month period and 14 team members took part in semi-structured interviews. Interviewees represented a range of professions including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health care assistants and dietetics.
The findings suggested that the meetings served numerous functions and participants claimed that they had led to a number of positive outcomes. Examples of outcomes include an increase in more appropriate referrals, improved understanding of roles and feeling valued. Those who reported the greatest benefits from the meetings were Health Care Assistants who are often seen to be relatively low in status compared to other healthcare professionals. They reported that the meetings provided them with a rare formal opportunity to voice their views as well as providing an informal atmosphere where the usual healthcare hierarchy was not as pronounced.
The study concludes that interprofessional education can take many forms and
needs to be flexible. One of the biggest challenges for IPE in healthcare is
to create an arena where all participants are valued equally. This study discusses
some of the challenges of creating a ‘level playing field’ within
a real life clinical setting.
Main Contact
Jane Metcalf, Senior Lecturer/ Consultant Physician, University Hospital of North Tees, Jane.Metcalf@nth.nhs.uk
A copy of the final report if freely available to download.
