Development of an Academic Course in Person-Centred Care for Students in Higher Education: Teachers’ Perspectives

Few studies describe the development of academic courses with interprofessional perspectives. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe teachers’ experiences with developing an academic course in person-centred care (PCC). Data collection was divided into three parts: (1) written material/documentation describing the process (text and pictures, 16 meetings), (2) SWOT analysis in relation to being a lecturer (n=7), and (3) interviews with the lecturers (n=4). The data were analysed using mixed methods, descriptive statistics (1) and qualitative content analysis (2-3). The results are presented in three categories (Co-creating a pilot course, Challenges of managing unfamiliar knowledge, and Wanting to understand new educational approach). This study highlights three challenges: (1) unfamiliarity with the field of person-centred care and selected educational activities and teaching skills; (2) unfamiliar colleagues, which delayed partnership efforts; and (3) limited experience working with other lecturers in light of the institute’s structure and routines. However, these challenges served as both barriers and facilitators; the lecturers developed knowledge and experiences from collaborations (educational and/or content skills/knowledge) focusing on resources and skills.