Interprofessional Learning in Multidisciplinary Healthcare Teams Is Associated With Reduced Patient Mortality: A Quantitative Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study is to identify quantitative evidence for the efficacy of interprofessional learning (IPL) to improve patient outcomes. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative patient outcomes after IPL in multidisciplinary healthcare teams reported in the Medline, Scopus, PsycInfo, Embase, and CINAHL databases. Results In 2022, we screened 15,248 reports to include 20 and extracted rates of mortality and primary outcomes in conventional care groups and intervention groups (involving initiatives to promote IPL in multidisciplinary teams). The meta-analysis of the 13 studies reporting mortality outcomes demonstrated that the 7166 patients in the intervention group had a significant 28% (95% confidence interval [CI], 40%–14%; P < 0.0003) reduced risk of dying compared with the 6809 patients in the conventional care group. The meta-analysis of the 14 studies reporting other treatment-related adverse outcomes demonstrated that the 4789 patients in the intervention group had a significant 23% (95% CI, 33%–12%; P < 0.0001) reduced risk of experiencing an adverse outcome during care compared with the 4129 patients in the conventional care group. Sensitivity analysis, involving the exclusion of the 20% of individual studies with the widest 95% CIs, confirmed the precision and reliability of our findings. Conclusions We believe that our results are the first to demonstrate significant quantitative evidence for the efficacy of IPL to translate into changes in clinical practice and improved patient outcomes. Our results reinforce earlier qualitative work of the value of IPL, but further prospective quantitative and mixed-methods research is needed to better define such benefits.