Guarded reciprocity: A study of managers expectations of graduates interprofessional practice (IPP) skills and knowledge

As demands on healthcare systems around the world increase in quantity and complexity, interprofessional practice (IPP) has been promoted to address such needs.1 Interprofessional practice (IPP) occurs " … when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers and communities to deliver the highest quality care".2 The importance of IPP has been noted to positively impact care and patient outcomes through teamwork, communication and a better use of health care resources.3 While there are examples of IPP improving patient outcomes in acute settings such as reduced visits and lengths of stay in the emergency department,4,5 the influence of managers in IPP remains less obvious. As the drive towards greater IPP becomes more pressing, it is important to deliver robust systems of interprofessional education (IPE) and to establish clear measures of IPP effectiveness.6,7 While some research is progressing within the aged and community care sectors,6,8 there is no description in current literature of the expectations of managers and those who influence staff recruitment and human resources administration in large acute care settings. This study reports the perspectives of managers from within a large acute care network, concerning IPP implementation, governance and culture. The primary goal of the study was to gather managers’ perspectives of current IPP and to understand their expectations of health professional graduates and their capacity to participate in IPP. This understanding is relevant to align the undergraduate curriculum complements with the needs of the employer, ensuring graduates complete their studies with a sophisticated and relevant suite of IPP skills and knowledge. The research question for this study was: What are the understandings of interprofessional practice (IPP) by key stakeholders in the acute care sector?