The Creation of an Interprofessional Education (IPE) Strategy Utilising a Delphi Method

Abstract

Background

Support for interprofessional education (IPE) is growing, with regulatory bodies requiring its inclusion in undergraduate healthcare programmes. Although the IPE Core Competencies and Guidelines offer principles for guiding IPE implementation, they lack practical application guidance. Bridging this gap necessitates tools to translate these frameworks into actionable practices. We developed an IPE strategy to overcome barriers by providing a clear roadmap to IPE implementation.

Method

The study designed a three-round E-Delphi. Initially, the research team created 24 strategic statements by consolidating existing IPE competencies. In Round 1, the panel could accept, reject, modify or add new statements. In Round 2, they could accept, reject or modify the revised statements. By Round 3, the panel either accepted or rejected the final statements. The research team analysed the levels of consensus, set at 80% agreement, and thematically analysed the free-text comments.

Findings

The Delphi panel consisted of 41 participants in Survey 1 and 43 in Surveys 2 and 3. The study began with 24 strategic statements across three priority areas. By the end of the Delphi process, this increased to 28 statements. Study consensus levels ranged from 74.29% to 100%, and participant retention rates were 85.4%, 67.4% and 62.7%, respectively.

Conclusion

The use of the E-Delphi method demonstrates its value in gathering diverse input, fostering consensus and enhancing the quality and relevance of IPE strategic development by integrating a broad range of perspectives. Further research on the scalability and long-term effects of this IPE strategy is warranted.