Interprofessional education in healthcare settings: are healthcare professionals translating learning into practice? An integrated mixed methods systematic review

Interprofessional education (IPE) underpins interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), which promotes safe and high-quality health care. Whilst IPE is known to improve healthcare student’s individual collaborative competencies, less is understood about its impact on qualified health care professionals (HCPs) practice and organizational change. This review critically examines evidence of practice change, identified using Level 3 and Level 4a of Kirkpatrick’s Modified Model of Learning, and barriers following IPE interventions. In February 2025 an integrated mixed methods systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Six databases (PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCO/MEDLINE, EBSCO/ERIC, EBSCO/CINAHL, and EBSCO/PsycInfo) were searched using predefined criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and data synthesized using the Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) convergent integrated approach. Seventy-one studies were included. Four categories of practice change were identified: (1) improvements to clinical care provision, (2) improvements in team communication, (3) changes in teams and teamwork, and (4) increased professional development including research. The studies quality varied, with 56% meeting at least four out of five MMAT criteria. Studies revealed practice change is mostly self-reported (87%), at single time points (35%), and at an individual level (96%) by HCPs. Nine studies reported barriers in achieving practice changes following IPE. This paper provides evidence to support IPE for qualified HCPs to improve IPCP and the delivery of high quality and safe healthcare. The identified practice changes align with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) and the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) IPCP frameworks. Further research is required focusing on whether changes are sustained long term and if more flexible evaluation methods such as a realist synthesis would be beneficial. This would allow a deeper understanding of practice changes, in particular how team behaviors change, and to explore the influence of healthcare decision makers on IPE and IPCP.