McMaster University, Ontario L8S 1C7, Canada.
Med Teach. 2011;33(10):851-3. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2010.530703.
There has been increasing interest in the active involvement of patients in the education of health professionals. Few have examined the potential role of patient educators in the facilitation of interprofessional education (IPE).
This qualitative program evaluation examined students' perceptions of their learning in a patient-facilitated IPE event.
One hundred and forty two students from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medicine, and nursing participated in a 2.5-h session in which they interviewed patient educators living with a variety of chronic illnesses about their experiences. Patient educators participated in a 3-h training session prior to the event.
Content analyses of six focus group transcripts (n = 27) and critical incident questionnaires (n = 138) revealed that students felt this was a positive experience, recognized the importance of advocating for their professional role, and valued the interprofessional learning. Students also valued participation from a variety of health professions and felt that IPE should be mandatory for all.
Results suggest that trained patient educators can effectively facilitate interprofessional interactions.
越来越多的人对患者积极参与医疗卫生专业人员教育产生了兴趣。但很少有人研究患者教育者在促进跨专业教育（IPE）方面的潜在作用。
本定性项目评估研究了学生在患者主导的 IPE 活动中的学习感受。
142 名来自物理治疗、职业治疗、医学和护理专业的学生参加了为时 2.5 小时的活动，他们采访了患有各种慢性病的患者教育者，了解他们的经历。患者教育者在活动前参加了 3 小时的培训。
对 6 个焦点小组转录本（n=27）和关键事件问卷（n=138）的内容分析显示，学生们认为这是一次积极的体验，认识到倡导自身专业角色的重要性，并重视跨专业学习。学生们还重视来自各种卫生专业的参与，并认为 IPE 应该对所有人强制要求。
结果表明，经过培训的患者教育者可以有效地促进跨专业互动。
