The complexities of interprofessional learning/working: Has the agenda lost its way?

Objective: The increasing emphasis of interprofessional working (IPW) and learning (IPL) encourages healthcare professionals to be educated together. However, is the language and understanding clear and consistent across health care? Research Questions: Is there a sound evidence base underpinning IPL/IPW? Do healthcare professionals and workforce arrangements support across professional working? Methodology: To answer these questions a detailed review was carried out investigating UK policy and educational developments in relation to international interprofessional research. Data Sources: Healthcare documents in relation to IPL from the UK Department of Health; World Health Organization; themes from international and European IPL networks/conferences, international healthcare journal article search (Metalib); UK Healthcare Commission documents; and UK healthcare statistics and data. Results: The definition of IPL and the associated IPL agenda within health is broad, which enables flexibility and creativity. However, this may also contribute to the weak evidence base which demonstrates the effectiveness of IPL. Conclusion: To focus the agenda on developing effective healthcare teams within an IPL framework would enable common understanding, language and evaluation processes.