An Ethnographic Study of the Inter-Professional Learning Culture of NHS staff within the Adult Critical Care Clinical Setting

The main aim of the doctoral research is to understand Inter-Professional Learning (IPL) occurring within the specific culture of Adult Critical Care. The research is multi-sited and will occur in 3 NHS Hospitals within the North East of England. It will use focused ethnography, with partial participant observation and interviewing, to develop a rich description of the Inter-Professional Learning culture in adult critical care clinical practice. To understand in-depth critical care practitioners’ perceptions and experiences of IPL, and to identify which factors are perceived to promote or inhibit effective Inter-Professional Learning, health care staff will be observed within the clinical setting of Adult Critical Care. Four occupational groups have been chosen, as a result of their prominence within the clinical setting, to also partake in semi-structured interviews. The research is currently undergoing ethical approval with the R&D departments within the 3 identified NHS Trusts and the doctorate is scheduled for completion at the end of December 2017.