2021 Year in Review: Interprofessional Education.

Abstract

Interprofessional (IP) education is focused on learning about, from, and with other health care professionals in an effort to improve patient care and specifically patient safety. IP education does not diminish the importance of discipline-specific competencies but rather focuses on making the connections necessary to develop IP collaborative practice to improve the quality of health care. Research studies addressing IP education in both health profession students and health care professionals published during 2021 are reviewed. The studies explored improving attitudes toward IP education, improving communication and collaboration skills, and improving patient safety. Review of the recently published IP education literature reveals opportunities for respiratory therapy educators, researchers, managers, and clinicians to discover ways to develop IP collaborative practice to ultimately have an important impact on the outcome of the patients we serve.