Summary: Interprofessional team meetings: Opportunities for informal interprofessional learning

By | 14th June 2015

In their recent study, Gillian Nisbet, Stewart Dunn and Michelle Lincoln explore the potential for workplace interprofessional learning, specifically the learning that occurs between health professionals, as part of their attendance at their regular interprofessional team meetings. While most interprofessional learning research to date has focused on formal structured education programs, this study adds to our understanding of the complexities of the learning processes occurring between health professionals as part of everyday practice. 

Through observations of team meetings and semi-structured interviews, the study found that the interprofessional team meeting provided a practical, time-efficient, and relevant means for interprofessional learning, resulting in perceived benefits to individuals, teams, and patients. The learning process, however, was influenced by members’ conceptions of learning, participation within the meeting, and medical presence. 

Nisbet and colleagues’ findings provide a basis for further research to assist health professionals capitalize on informal learning opportunities within the interprofessional meeting.

Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13561820.2015.1016602