Healthcare delivery is provided by various health professions working together. Lately collaborative practice is known to improve patient's outcomes. Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares health professions for interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP)as opposed to the traditional silo based health professions education (HPE). IPE promotes collaborative decision-making in practice. The aim of this study was to assess the perception and readiness for IPE and perceived barriers to the implementation of IPE activities among the health professions’ students at the University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. A mixed method cross-sectional descriptive study was used. Quantitative data was collected by administering an online Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire to healthcare professions students in the UZFMHS in all the years of their programmes of study. The qualitative component was in the form of comments from the students on aspects on the RIPLS questionnaire. The majority of students in all the programmes of study were in full support of in interprofessional education in that it improves the relationships amongst the various healthcare professionals to the overall benefit of the patients and the community .They also appreciated the need to respect other professions and highlighted the importance of collaborative team work, positive professional identity, desisting from negative professional identity towards other professions and being appreciative of the roles and responsibilities of other members of the healthcare team. The students in the UZFMHS indicated their readiness and willingness to participate in IPE and are appreciative of the role IPE plays in fostering interprofessional collaborative practice. They also indicated positive attitudes to team work and collaboration, and little negative attitudes towards other professions and positive attitudes towards other professions and their roles and responsibilities to foster improvements in the delivery of quality healthcare.
Keywords:Interprofessional education (IPE), Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), interprofessional collaboration, team collaboration, readiness.