Learning outcomes for interprofessional education (IPE): Literature review and synthesis

As part of a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative we searched the literature to explore defined learning outcomes for interprofessional education between 1988, when the last WHO technical report on interprofessional education was published, and 2009. We describe and synthesize findings from 88 citations over this 21 year period. There is a variety in the way learning outcomes are presented but there are many similarities between specific outcomes and/or objectives. Papers describing educational interventions do not always include specific outcomes or objectives. Our findings have been integrated into a list of learning outcomes with six categories for further debate and discussion. This project is part of a wider initiative initiated by the WHO in 2007 to review the current position of interprofessional education worldwide. It is also a sub-project of a learning and teaching grant funded by the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching within Australia. In this paper we use the CAIPE definition of interprofessional education: Occasions when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care (Barr, 2002).