Technology-enhanced interprofessional simulation in higher education healthcare training

Abstract

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares students from different health professions to work together in complex healthcare systems worldwide. Although widely valued, integrating IPE into discipline-bound health sciences curricula remains difficult, with barriers limiting meaningful interprofessional learning experience. Simulation-based education (SBE) addresses some challenges by providing risk-free environments to practice collaborative clinical skills and decision-making. However, gaps remain in adopting simulation-based IPE in higher education institutions. Aim: This study explored the experiences of management and lecturers adopting technology-enhanced interprofessional simulation (TEIPS) within the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). Setting: This study was conducted in the FHS of a higher education institution based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled FHS management and lecturers involved in SBE. Data were transcribed and analysed using the Matrix Building Framework approach. Results: TEIPS helps bridge limitations in traditional IPE by enabling personalised feedback, supporting measurable teamwork behaviours and creating environments where purposeful interdependence is essential for learning. Conclusion: TEIPS functions most effectively in a curriculum-embedded ecosystem supported by strong institutional leadership, sustained resources and structured faculty development initiatives. Contribution: This study addresses critical gaps in educator capacity building and the lack of practice-informed approaches to integrating digital innovations into IPE. It shows how purposeful interdependence, sustained faculty development and curriculum integration enable TEIPS as a measurable, sustainable and equity-enhancing IPE approach in diverse contexts in varied contexts.