Interprofessional Education (IPE): Introduction to IPE

Interprofessional Education (IPE) or Interpofessional Education and Practice (IPEP) is when students or healthcare professionals from different disciplines work together on health care problems.

From the World Health Organization (WHO): “Interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Once students understand how to work interprofessionally, they are ready to enter the workplace as a member of the collaborative practice team. This is a key step in moving health systems from fragmentation to a position of strength.” World Health Organization (WHO). (2010). Framework for action on interprofessional education & collaborative practice. Geneva: World Health Organization.

The UNC Adams School of Dentistry has a brief video explaining IPEP and its benefits for both practitioners and patients:

For more information about IPEP, see Amina in the Nexus and the Medscape Introduction to Interprofessional Collaboration.

Amina in the Nexus
Amina in the Nexus shares the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education’s vision for health care delivery in the United States. Through Amina’s story, individuals see the potential of the Nexus to align health care redesign and interprofessional education to achieve the Triple Aim of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

Interprofessional Collaboration to Improve Health Care: An Introduction
Introduction to Interprofessional Collaboration from Medscape, part of WebMD