The Benefits and Challenges of Interprofessional Education Assessment for Health Care Professionals

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) fosters effective team-based collaborative practice among members of different health care professions to advance high-quality and safe patient care. Although the importance of IPE has been recognized and IPE initiatives have expanded rapidly in the past decades, substantial difficulties in IPE assessment still exist. At present, a lack of consensus on the optimal approach to IPE assessment contributes to uncertainty about the level of attainment of collaborative team performance. This paper aims to provide an overview of the benefits and current challenges associated with IPE assessment. Furthermore, a multifactor model with an assessment matrix and assessment blueprints from a recent study is briefly discussed. We also provide examples of assessment blueprints for the team management of stroke patient discharge covering a competency examination at the levels of individuals, the team, and the task.