As we know, IPE is considered a key mechanism in enhancing communication and practice among health care providers, optimizing participation in clinical decision making and improving the delivery of care. An important, though under-explored, factor connected to this form of education is the unequal power relations that exist between the health and the social care professions. In a study which analyzed data from the evaluation of a large multi-site IPE initiative, we used Anne Witz’s model of Professional Closure to explore the perspectives and the experiences of participants and the power relations between them. Findings from this study really highlighted how professionals’ views of interprofessional interactions, behaviours and attitudes tend to either reinforce or attempt to restructure traditional power relationships within the context of an IPE initiative.
For more information read: Baker, Egan-Lee, Martimianakis, Reeves – Journal of Interprofessional Care, Vol. 25, pages 98-104