Interprofessional education in rural practice: how, when and where?

Interprofessional education (IPE) has been suggested as an answer to improving the effectiveness of health professional teamwork, which in turn is regarded as a key strategy for improving the delivery and outcomes of increasingly complex healthcare approaches. There is a strong theoretical base to support the implementation of IPE for all health professionals, and in response many training programs now do this, although in a wide variety of ways. There is, however, little evidence so far that IPE has the desired effect, and one reason for this may be the design of the IPE learning activities. This article presents some theory-based but practical advice for how to develop effective IPE activities. The focus is on rural practice, which is an ideal location for IPE because small teams must work together in small communities to provide optimal health care.