Perceptions of Thai Healthcare Instructors on Components of Interprofessional Education: A Phenomenological Study

Perceived competencies of healthcare instructors regarding interprofessional education are an initial step in developing an appropriate nursing curriculum. A phenomenological research design was used to explore the perceptions of competencies in the interprofessional education of healthcare instructors. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from healthcare instructors who have had direct experiences in multidisciplinary teams or interprofessional education for at least five years and were willing to participate. Fourteen participants who met the criteria were interviewed. The data was analyzed using content analysis. The meaning of interprofessional education’ competency and five themes emerged from analyzing that represented the participant’s perceptions and experiences in the IPE, consisting of 1) Diversity of opinions accepted, 2) Mutual goal setting, 3) Teamwork, 4) Knowledge, and 5) Effective communication and information. It was recommended that the perceptions of nursing students play an essential role in developing learning and teaching guidelines for IPE. Therefore, a future study should explore nursing students’ perceptions, develop learning and teaching methods appropriate to IPE for nursing students, and create guidelines to promote the continued development of IPE skills.