Economic Evaluations of Interprofessional Education Interventions: A Systematic Review

Despite the well-documented educational and clinical benefits of IPE, its economic impact remains unclear.Goals, objectives, and purpose: Objectives: To evaluate the economic evaluations of interprofessional education (IPE) interventions, synthesize key economic outcomes, and appraise the methodological quality of these evaluations.Methods/Methodology: Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ERIC databases was performed up to October 3, 2024. The Quality of Health Economic Studies tool was employed for quality assessment.Results/Findings: Results: The search identified 1,302 records, of which seven studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies, published between 2009 and 2022, were conducted in high-income countries across clinical and university settings. The studies employed a range of economic evaluation methodologies, including cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness and cost-minimization. One study reported increased costs of USD 11,390 per resident annually, offset by USD 14,330 in revenue gains from reduced no-show rates. Another study found that the interprofessional training unit is more cost-effective than the conventional ward, considered dominant, resulting in additional savings of €354 per patient. Three studies reported favorable economic outcomes: one with a low cost of EUR 24-47 per student, another showing a net benefit of AUD 1,629,888, and a third improving efficiency in antibiotic stewardship. A simulation-based IPE intervention, although more costly (NTD 278,800 versus NTD 163,400), demonstrated superior learning outcomes. However, one study found that an IPE student clinic incurred higher costs than traditional placements, although interprofessional student clinics reported positive patient and student learning outcomes. Quality assessments showed that three studies were of good quality and four were of fair quality.Conclusions, implications, and/or curiosities: Conclusions: These findings highlight significant variability in methodologies, settings, and outcome measures. Nevertheless, IPE interventions may yield favorable economic and educational/clinical outcomes.