title: A plan for embedding an interprofessional education initiative into an existing programme in a Southeast Asian university.
abstract: An interprofessional education (IPE) initiative was recently launched at the University of Health Sciences in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a country located in southeast Asia. During the process of reviewing the current curriculum, it was realised that the university has been providing a kind of IPE programme for more than a decade. Medical, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing students were participating together in a community education programme. After identifying the programme's strengths and challenges, a 4-year plan for embedding the IPE concept into the programme was developed. The plan was divided into four phases-sharing the key concepts of IPE, designing the programme, organising the interprofessional programme committee, and evaluating the effectiveness of the programme. In this short article, we describe the process that led to the plan's creation and the experiences from the first two phases already completed.
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|b Department of Rehabilitation Sciences , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Bumsuk
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|c Department of Nursing , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
authors.affiliation: d Education Development Center , The University of Health Sciences , Vientiane , Laos.
authors.forename: Ketsomsouk
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bouphavanh
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|e Department of Laboratory Sciences , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokita
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|c Department of Nursing , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Takatoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|e Department of Laboratory Sciences , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|e Department of Laboratory Sciences , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|b Department of Rehabilitation Sciences , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Fusae
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tozato
authors.affiliation: a Gunma University Centre for Research and Training on Interprofessional Education , Maebashi , Japan.|b Department of Rehabilitation Sciences , Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences , Maebashi , Japan.|f Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research , Maebashi , Japan.
authors.forename: Hideomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007812:Laos; D016730:Program Development
keywords: Community-based; developing country; interprofessional education; pre-qualifying