| Summary: | This thesis is an evaluation of interprofessional education (IPE) in Leamington Spa Orthodontics (LSO), a primary care outreach training centre. It is relevant, as there are no IPE studies in dentistry and timely, offering a model of integrated education and patient care. As a longitudinal study, where IPE is the organisational philosophy, it is significant in informing theorisation of IPE. The methodology is realist evaluation, which aims to describe and understand the educational environment and identify how stakeholders perceive their experiences. The study group spans the full spectrum of stakeholders in LSO education, selected by purposive sampling. Data collection is by semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Thematic analysis allows in-depth data immersion, developing theory iteratively until saturation is achieved. Identified theories are tested and refined by stakeholders, thus providing respondent validation. Findings show IPE in LSO to be successful for the orthodontic team. A core philosophy and attitude are the initiating contexts, which, with time, allow development of an appropriate skill-mix, organization and setting to facilitate learning. Empowerment leads to aspects of unlearning, reflection, formal and informal learning, combining with situated learning to deliver interprofessional learning. Outcomes include individual and team development, enhanced teamwork, communication and depth of learning. IPE evolves through situated learning in a conducive community of practice, where individuals develop their own identities, or learning trajectories, unrestricted by professional protectionism. To be sustainable, IPE must become organisationally contextual, which is dependent upon emergence of new leaders and, requires buy-in from and continuing motivation of the majority of stakeholders. This thesis identifies contexts required for IPE, mechanisms which generate defined outcomes, and suggests that a customized primary care setting is ideally suited for its’ development. IPE has struggled to transform healthcare professional education. An institutional teaching model, with IPE as the core philosophy, may achieve this goal. This thesis therefore suggests that IPE should be an overarching educational theory in its own right, within which other social science and education theories combine, to maximize integrated learning and patient care.
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