Establishing and sustaining interprofessional education: Institutional infrastructure

Abstract

Abstract Addressing broad, dynamic, and profession-specific accreditory standards in interprofessional education has encouraged some academic institutions to establish a centralized dedicated interprofessional administrative infrastructure. But there are few, if any, contemporary conceptual models for academic institutions seeking to emulate this practice. This paper draws upon the facilitators and barriers described in the literature and extends that review, establishing a conceptual framework by synthesizing guidelines associated with sustained interprofessional education. The authors employed a basic consensus approach to align literature and program data to create a convergent framework that includes leadership commitment, dedicated resources, organizational structure, strategic plan, supporting policies and processes, alignment with institutional objectives, and program evaluation. The framework is then operationalized within the context of two well-established IPE programs, Indiana University’s Interprofessional Practice and Education Center and The University of Florida Health Science Center Office of Interprofessional Education, to illustrate fundamental principles and, in some cases, alternative strategies that emerged in response to each institution’s unique context.