Establishing and evaluating interprofessional student-led wellness assessment services focused on the elderly

Whilst the notion that health professionals should ‘learn to work together’ is not new (Carpenter & Dickinson 2014; Leathard, 1994; Szasz, 1969), the popularity of interprofessional education (IPE) has certainly grown noticeably over recent years. There is a trend towards an increased interest in IPE not only amongst tertiary education providers and researchers but also policymakers as well (Reeves et al., 2008). In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO, 2010) has been emphasising the need for policymakers around the world to engage in IPE and hence better prepare their health professionals for future challenges. A variety of reasons can be attributed towards this increased interest in IPE, including increasing complexity of health care, an ageing population and increased prevalence of chronic diseases requiring multidisciplinary approaches (Reeves et al., 2008). In this regard, interprofessional collaboration and communication in practice is crucial. Interprofessional practice should be patient-focused and is expected to provide more efficient and effective patient care, including more active patient involvement in decision-making processes regarding their health (King, Shaw, Orchard, & Miller, 2010; Orchard, Curran, & Kabene, 2005).