Suggested improvements to facilitate effective IPSC interactions
| Level of intervention | Definition | Illustrative quote |
| Student interventions (n=93, 39%) | ||
| Formal | Interventions targeted at students including formal preparation (ie, teaching sessions) prior to clinical placements. Typically, in the classroom (but sometimes in the workplace) this includes groups of students being taught about the different roles of healthcare professionals and interprofessional handovers. | ‘I think a large part of that is having the opportunity to have informal, uhm, time such as, you know, we get on the birth with the obstetrics team occasionally where you are getting an opportunity to interact with other professionals’ (Midwifery student, F24MidS3) |
| Informal | Informal interventions targeted at students (ie, unplanned, opportunistic learning) were suggested. Typically, in the workplace, this included them being self-directed learners seeking out their own meaningful IPSC interactions. | |
| Clinician interventions (n=28, 12%) | ||
| Formal | Interventions targeted at clinicians in order to help them develop their educational knowledge, skills and attitudes and thus improve their clinical teaching with IP students (as well as their teaching with their own uniprofessional students). | ‘Thinking about how I would want my sort of student to be able to interact with the other disciplines, so perhaps it would be um, working out what skills they do have and increasing their confidence to be able to communicate with other disciplines… and if they’re ready, just sending them straight in to do something by themselves’ (Occupational Therapy clinician, F2OT1C1) |
| Informal | Informal interventions targeted at clinicians such as them actively involving IP students in their work, encouraging uniprofessional students to seek IPSC interactions and volunteering supervision and feedback (and thereby normalising the IP feedback culture). | |
| Interactional interventions (n=48, 20%) | ||
| Formal | Formal interventions targeted at the IPSC relationship such as guides/cheat sheets for both about one another’s roles/scopes of practice, supervisors formally arranging IPSC interactions and joint IP clinicians supervising students together. | ‘When my students report to me about any of my patients’, I say, ‘Okay, so what did the nurse say? Have you spoken to the OT about that? Who else do you think you could talk to?’ (Physiotherapy clinician, M3PT3C4) |
| Informal | Suggestions included informal interventions at the IPSC relationship level such as increasing informal opportunities for students to shadow and chat to IP clinicians on an opportunistic basis. | |
| Organisational interventions (n=70, 29%) | ||
| Formal | Suggestions included formal interventions at the organisation level such as changes to processes, organised IPE timetables (curriculum), orientations, protected time on clinical placements for students to talk (observe/work) with IP clinicians. | ‘It’s important that students have access to members of other professions because they’re going to be working with them in the future… it’s important for the professions to value [emphasis added] teaching students from other professions’ (Medicine clinician, M6M1C8) |
| Informal | Suggestions also included informal interventions at the organisation level such as co-located space in order for IP students and clinicians to interact informally. | |
IPSC, interprofessional student-clinician.