Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Service user involvement in health care education programmes is now seen as integral to learning in health education programmes (Tremayne et al 2014, Russel and Allman 2014). The impact is wideranging: studies have found service-user involvement develops knowledge, skills and attitudes (Tremayne et al 2014), promotes commitment to a user-orientated approach (McKutcheon and Gormley 2014), enhances care and narrows the theory-practice gap (Turnbull and and Weeley 2013). Additional benefits include promoting positive realistic attitudes while dispelling preconceptions (Blackhall Shafer and Nightingale 2012). Following user involvement student nurses tend to use less jargon and become more likely to be empathetic (Rush 2008). The consequences for practice include better care and better outcomes, with greater service user satisfaction (Happell et al 2014).