Interprofessional education in healthcare professions – implementation status and preferences from the perspective of teaching staff

Background: Interprofessional thinking and behaviour are the key to high-quality and efficient healthcare provision. This requires specific skills which can be developed through interprofessional teaching and learning. This article sets out methods of implementation and preferences of interprofessional teaching in the education of healthcare professions from the perspective of teaching staff. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews (n=11) were carried out with teaching staff from four public schools for healthcare professions in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The data was evaluated using the methodological approach of content-structuring qualitative content analysis. Results: The implementation of interprofessional teaching and learning varies depending on the institution and teacher. It takes place in classrooms, in nursing skills labs, on excursions and project days, but requires a high degree of planning. Teaching staff favour case scenarios with a clear structure, which can be worked on by several professional groups or from various perspectives. Reflecting on profession-specific perspectives plays a particularly important role here. Digital formats such as blended learning, simulation labs as well as virtual and augmented reality are cited as supplementary learning formats, but often fail in their implementation due to a lack of technical equipment. Discussion & conclusion: In addition to political and institution-specific contexts for interprofessional teaching and learning, interprofessional educational formats are also required. These should be based on case scenarios and be modular so that individual teaching and learning content can be applied to various contexts. The integration of OER as well as digital learning formats can support both the implementation and preparation and follow-up of interprofessional learning activities.