JONATHAN KOFFMAN and IRENE J. HIGGINSON, Department of Palliative Care & Policy, King's College School of Medicine at Guy's, King's College and St. Thomas' Hospital, London, UK Assessing the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Interprofessional Palliative Care Education 262 Abstract Iinterprofessional education in health care in general and palliative care has been the focus of in- creasing attention in recent years. However, there is still controversy about its outcomes and few courses have been evaluated. The aims of this evaluation were to explore (1) the career progression of former students who attended an interprofessional MSc in palliative care; (2) the activities former students were engaged in as a result of attending the course; and (3) the experi- ence of attending an interprofessional postgraduate course in palliative care. Former students who attended the coursebetween January 1998and January2004 were surveyed using a postal questionnaire. Of the 56 students who completed the course, 44 (79%) responded; 23 (52%) were doctors, 20 (45%) nurses, and one an occupational therapist. Career progression was significant for doctors (2=-2.08, p=O.04) and for nurses (2=-2.4, p=O.017). Thirty- nine (89%) former students believed this was due to at- tending the course. Former students described a wide range of clinical, research, and service development activities they were involved in as a result of attending the course. Qualitative data highlighted the benefits of attending an interprofessional course where the follow- ing themes became evident: lateral thinking, challeng- ing misconceptions, enhancing teamwork opportunities, and professional networks and confidence. Funding should be made available to extend interprofessional education to a wide range of professionals who care for patients with advanced disease and their families. Resume I Les programmes d'etudes interprofession- nelles axees sur la sante et les soins palliatifs ont ete au centre de I'attention au cours des dernieres annees. Cependant, i1s soulevent encore beaucoup de contro- verses quant a leurs resultats et leur efficacite a fait I'objet de peu d'evatuations. Notre evaluation avait pour objectifs : 1) de determiner l'avancernent professionnel des etudiants ayant complete un MSc en soins pallia- tifs, 2) de connaitre les activites dans lesquelles les etudiants s'etalent engages aprss avoir suivi ce cours, 3) et d'obtenir I'opinion des eleves sur ce MSc inter- professionelen soins palliatifs qu'i1s ont complete. Nous avons donc expedie un questionnaire aux erudlants qui avaient suivi ce cours entre Ie mois de janvier 1988 et Ie mois de janvier 2004. Les resultats de notre sondage sont les suivants : 56 etuolants ont complete Ie cours, cependant, 44 d'entre eux (79 %) nous ont retourne Ie questionnaire. De ce nombre, 23 (52 %) etalent made- cins, 20 (45 %) etalent inflrmieres ou infirmiers et on comptait 1 phystotberapeute. L'avancement profes- sionnel chez les medeelns (2=-2.08, p=0.04) et chez les lnflrmleres/lnflrmlers (2=-2.4, p=0.017) etalt tres significatif, 39 d'entre eux (89 %) attribuaient meme cette progression dans leur carriere au fait d'avoir suivi cette formation interprofessionelle. Les etudiants ont egalement decrlt un grand nombre d'activites cliniques varlees dans lesquelles ils s'etalent engages, ce qu'ils attribuaient aussi au fait d'avoir suivi ce cours. Les donnees qualitatives ont dernontrs que les benefices relies a une formation interprofessionelle etalent multi- ples. Les themes suivants sont ressortis du sondage : les etudiants ont appris a sortir des sentiers battus, a revoir leurs idees preconcuas a I'egard d'une profes- sion, a apprecier la valeur du travail en equipe et a reconnaitre I'importance d'un reseau professionnel et de I'estime de soi. Cette formation interprofessionnelle devrait jouir d'un plus grand financement de sorte qu'on pourrait l'etendre a un plus grand nombre de professionnels qui ont a cceur d'aider les malades en phase terminale et leur famille. INTRODUCTION One main challenge of palliative care is to create effective and appropriate systems that seamlessly address the complex physical, psy- chological, social, cultural, and spiritual needs of patients with advanced disease and their fami- lies. It has been proposed that changes in pallia- tive care in particular (1,2) and health care in general (3) move toward evidence-based care and professional integration. In recent years pal- liative care teams have addressed many of these concerns (4). Paradoxically, increasing speciali- zation has remained an ever-present concern and continues to be reinforced through profes- sional socialization processes where many edu- cational programs remain uni-disciplinary (5-8). INTERPROFESSIONAL LEARNING Interprofessional learning has been defined as "...occasions when two or more professions learn together with the object of cultivating col- laborative practice"(9). Following the 1988 WHO publication Learning Together to Work To-