LEARNING TOGETHER: FACING THE REALITY OF SHARED LEARNING IN HEALTH CARE

An exploration of health professionals' perceptions of the concept of shared learning and of the belief that shared learning can improve professional relationships in practice. A shared learning event was arranged as a forum for information exchange within an NHS trust. Ten per cent of total staff (87 people) attended. Questionnaires were completed by the delegates on the day of the event and repeated 10 weeks later. Thematic analysis of the questionnaire data guided the development of an interview schedule for two focus groups, carried out three months later. This paper reports on the findings from the focus group interviews. The main finding is that shared learning events can give health professionals the opportunity to learn about other professionals' roles. Patient-focused, workbased learning within a multi-disciplinary team is the most realistic way of implementing shared interprofessional learning successfully. The paper concludes that shared learning can positively influence effective interprofessional working. However, the focus may need to be on work-based learning opportunities rather than on formal events, thus leading to the promotion of interprofessional learning.