Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.063

Institutional views on patient involvement in undergraduate interprofessional healthcare educationSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Adrijana Svenšek ORCID...^{1, *}, Lucija Gosak ORCID...¹, Matthijs Hugo Bosveld ORCID...^{2, 3}, Dante N. Mulder^{2, 4}, Matilde Leal ORCID...⁵, Catarina Raposo-Lima ORCID...⁶, Cathy C. Kline ORCID...⁷, Carolina Garcez ORCID...^{6, 8}, Pedro Morgado ORCID...^{9, 10}, Mateja Lorber ORCID...¹, Barbara Kegl ORCID...¹, Ricardo J. O. Ferreira ORCID...^{5, 11, 12}

¹ University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), Maribor, Slovenia

² Maastricht University, Department of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, The Netherlands

³ Maastricht University, Department of Educational Development and Research, School of Health Professions Education, Maastricht, The Netherlands

⁴ Stichting Mens achter de Patiënt, Eijsden, The Netherlands

⁵ Nursing School of Lisbon, Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

⁶ University of Minho, School of Medicine, Braga, Portugal

⁷ University of British Columbia, Office of the Vice-President, Health, Patient & Community Partnership for Education, Vancouver, Canada

⁸ Associação EUPATI Portugal, Project Management, Lisboa, Portugal

⁹ University of Minho, School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Braga, Portugal

¹⁰ Clinical Academic Center, Braga, Portugal

¹¹ Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Lisbon, Portugal

¹² Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Medicina, Laboratório Associado TERRA, Lisboa, Portugal

Introduction: Patient and public involvement (PPI) and interprofessional education (IPE) are established in undergraduate healthcare education, yet their integration is rarely described. This study explored how experienced institutions implement PPI within IPE and what sustains it.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive study used six semi-structured online interviews with key informants from institutions in Europe and Canada, purposively selected for their long-standing programmes. Data were analysed with inductive qualitative content analysis, distinguishing manifest categories from latent themes.

Results: Six manifest categories were identified: objectives, implementation, recruitment, challenges, interprofessional collaboration, and evaluation. Three latent themes were formulated: experiential knowledge as expertise requiring continual legitimation, the patient partner as connective tissue of interprofessional learning, and sustainability as invisible relational and organisational labour. Participants reported benefits for communication, reflection and teamwork, alongside role ambiguity, logistical demands, and emotional burden on patient partners.

Conclusion: Participants described sustainable involvement as depending on competency-based and inclusive recruitment, preparation of patient partners and faculty, funded coordination, embedding in the curriculum, and ethical safeguards. The reported benefits for students reflect the perceptions of institutional representatives and need to be confirmed in future research.

Keywords: Healthcare education; Interprofessional education; Patient-centred care; Patient involvement; Public involvement; Qualitative research

Grants and funding:

This study is part of the PULPIT research consortium, which stands for Public and Patient Involvement in Interprofessional Education of Undergraduate Healthcare Students. The consortium (2023-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000165015) was co-funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ Program. The funder had no role in this study. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: April 7, 2026; Revised: July 24, 2026; Accepted: October 22, 2026; Prepublished online: October 23, 2026