How interprofessional education is offered to pharmacists and pharmacy students: A scoping review

Abstract

This study presents a review of recent published experiences of Interprofessional Education (IPE) in pharmacy education, aiming to identify the educational, institutional, and systemic factors involved in their development. Six databases were searched. The 147 (100%) articles included described experiences of IPE involving pharmacists or pharmacy students. The activities were concentrated in undergraduate courses (n = 118, 80,27%). Forty-three experiences were referred to as pilot projects. Of all the experiences, 46 (31,29%) involved real patients. Most studies report very little information regarding organizational factors; 24 (16,33%) reported the curricular or mandatory nature of IPE experiences and 35 (23,81%) cited the existence of some type of funding dedicated to the development of the IPE. Barriers and facilitators to the development of IPE in the schools/universities were described and discussed. Many articles refer to the relationship between the IPE activities and the context, considering specific health needs, demographic conditions, health and education policies that demand IPE. The results indicate a great variety of IPE offered to pharmacy students. However, there are still gaps in the institutionalization of IPE in pharmacy education, with limited forms of support.