Involvement in multiprofessional continuing education: a local survey of 24 health care professions

Abstract

Multipmfessional education is becoming recognised increasingly widely as the way forward for the health professions. A survey was conducted within one English health authority, namely North and East Devon, to determine how much of it was actually taking place at post-qualifying level. Unlike previous survyes, which have mostly been addressed to educational providers, this was sent to individual workers in all the established health professions and sought to measure the extent of actual involvement within each profession, along with attitudes towards learning in a multiprofessional context. Nearly threequarters of those who replied had been involved in some form of multiprofessional education during a specified 12-month period, although levels of involvement varied greatly between professions, with some professions having markedly better access to opportunities than others. A key finding was that a number of professions are effectively excluded from multiprofessional education. Considerable interest in learning in a multiprofessional setting was found at all levels and amongst all groups of health professionals, and there was a clear demand from all professions for more opportunities, especially in the field of counselling and communication skills.