What is IPE/IPL/IPP?
The University of Queensland
What is IPE/IPL/IPP?
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AIPPEN gratefully acknowledges Judy Stone, Interprofessional Learning Coordinator for ACT Health, in the compilation of these definitions and descriptions. Working together, Learning togetherThe need for an interprofessional approach to health careAcross the health and social care sector, there is both growing evidence and recognised need for effective team work between agencies, educators, service providers and service users to improve patient care and outcomes. In order to achieve this collaborative practice, the existing and future workforce, must learn to work as effective members of interprofessional teams.  The Process of IPL (as inspired by the CAIPE definition of IPE): 'With', 'From' and About' gears intermesh in the process of interprofessional learning. Acknowledgements: Dr Lisa Nissen and Dr Monica Moran Within the interprofessional health paradigm, there are a variety of terms used to convey a similar intent and meaning. The following definitions and descriptions provide a brief overview and clarification of important IPL concepts. (below list of terms are hyperlinked to their definitions below so that, when one clicks on Collaborative Practice, the definition appears up on screen)
Interprofessional Learning (IPL) is the overarching term encompassing interprofessional education, or IPE, and interprofessional practice, or IPP. It is a philosophical stance, embracing life long learning, adult learning principles and an ongoing, active learning process, between different cultures and health care disciplines. IPL philosophy supports health professionals working collaboratively in a health care setting, through a purposeful interaction with service users and carers, to produce quality patient centred care. It acknowledges both formal and informal methods of learning which progress to develop service delivery. Interprofessional Education (IPE) - AIPPEN endorses the IPE definitions of the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) 2002) - 'Interprofessional Education occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care'. The key elements of IPE are -
Though most frequently used by universities in referring to undergraduate training, IPE can also include teaching and learning opportunities in IPL for qualified health professionals. As such, IPE comprises all such learning in academic and work based settings, before and after qualification, and includes the 'professional' status of healthcare support workers. Interprofessional Practice (IPP) - IPP occurs when all members of the health service delivery team participate in the team's activities and rely on one another to accomplish common goals and improve health care delivery, thus improving patient's quality experience. Interprofessional practice (IPP) is thus the results when interprofessional learning is put into practice in the health workplace and in the community. IPW is used interchangeably with IPP, and refers to interactions between team members (Atwal & Caldwell, 2006). Consistent with CAIPE's inclusive view of 'professionals', IPP/IPW demonstrates the positive interdependence between conventional health professionals and health care support workers. Collaborative Practice - Collaboration is an active and ongoing partnership, often between people from diverse backgrounds, who work together to solve problems or provide services (Freeth et al., 2005). Occurring at the intersection between self-reflection and active engagement (Gerardi & Fontaine, 2007), collaboration can be theoretically defined as a joint intellectual effort of working together in mutually supportive teams. Within the practice setting, collaboration is "an interprofessional process for communication and decision-making that enables the separate and shared knowledge and skills of care providers to synergistically influence the client/patient care provided" (Way et al., 2000, p. 3). Collaborative practice is then both patient-centered and team-based; and maximises the strengths and skills of each contributing health and social care worker to increase the quality of patient care (Hoffman et al., 2007) Interdisciplinary - 'Interdisciplinary collaboration' was a term used in the 1970s when IPL was emerging from the evidence that suggested lives were saved with better coordination and collaboration in the health services (Yeager, 2005). Interdisciplinary is a term sometimes used by researchers and practitioners, who analyse, synthesise and harmonise the links between disciplines, to create a coordinated and coherent health delivery system (Choi & Pak, 2006). However, 'interdisciplinary' lacks the inherent depth of collaboration implied by the term 'interprofessional'. Transdisciplinary - Transdisciplinary may be used to describe professional boundary overlap, or health professionals taking on aspects of each other's roles in the absence of the specific health professional. For example, in rural and remote practices which cannot support the full range of health professionals, individuals can be more flexible about their roles and responsibilities. Choi and Pak (2006) describe the concept transdisciplinary as the integration of the natural, social and health sciences in a humanities context, transcending their traditional boundaries. Multidisciplinary - Multidisciplinary is used to describe, for example, types of teams or education and indicates that people from different disciplines are involved in the given activity. It is a term often confused with multiprofessional despite the clear difference between these two descriptors. Multidisciplinary health professionals represent different health and social care professions - they may work closely with one another, but may not necessarily interact, collaborate or communicate effectively (Atwal & Caldwell, 2006). Multiprofessional - Multiprofesional refers to a number of professional practitioners who work in parallel; each has clear role definitions, specified tasks, and there are hierarchical lines of authority and high levels of professional autonomy within the team. The practitioners consult individually with service users and use their own goals and treatment plans to deliver a particular service (Griffin, 1996; Ivey et al., 1988). Multiprofessional, as a term, may not imply optimal levels of collaboration. ReferencesAtwal, A., & Caldwell, K. (2006). Nurses' Perceptions of Multidisciplinary Team Work in Acute Health-Care. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 12(6), 359-360. Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE). (2002). Defining IPE. Accessed 8 September 2008, from CAIPE website: Choi, B.C., & Pak, A.W. (2006). Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in health research, services, education and policy: 1. Definitions, objectives, and evidence of effectiveness. Clinical Investigative Medicine, 29(6), 351-364. Freeth, D., Hammick, M., Reeves, S., Koppel, I. & Barr, H. (2005). Effective Interprofessional Education: Development, Delivery & Evaluation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Gerardi, D. & Fontaine D. (2007). True Collaboration: Envisioning New Ways of Working Together. AACN Advanced Critical Care, 18(1), 10-14. Griffin, S. (1996). Occupational therapists as health care team members: A review of the literature. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 43(1), 83-94. Hoffman, S. J., Rosenfield, D., Gilbert, J. H. V., Oandasan, I. F. (2008). Student leadership in interprofessional education; benefits, challenges and implications for educators, researchers and policymakers. Medical Education 42(7), 654-661. Ivey, S.L., Brown, K.S., Teske, Y., & Silverman, D. (1988). About Interdisciplinary Practice in Health Care Settings. Journal of Allied Health, 17, 189-195. Way, D., Jones, L., & Busing, N. (2000). Implementing strategies: Collaboration in Primary Care - Family Doctors & Nurse Practitioners delivering shared care. Discussion paper written for the Ontario College of Family Physicians. Accessed 10 February 2009, from Ontario College of Family Physicians website: Yeager, S. (2005). Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The Heart and Soul of Health Care. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 17(2).
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