Collaborative Practice

What is Interprofessional Collaborative Practice?

Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) is when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together  with patients, families, caregivers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care (WHO, 2010)..

This transformational movement in health care toward higher quality and safety includes transforming the health care workplace toward a more collaborative, team-based environment.  Many organizations have developed policy statements, reports, and resources:

The World Health Organization published a key report, entitled Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice, that highlights the current status of interprofessional collaboration around the world, identifies the mechanisms that shape successful collaborative teamwork and outlines a series of action items that policy-makers can apply within their local health system.

Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) published a report presenting key definitions related to IPCP, a justification for interprofessional education, and core educational competencies in interprofessional collaborative practice.  This expert panel mirrored IPCP in that it was sponsored by:

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
• American Dental Education Association
• Association of American Medical Colleges
• Association of Schools of Public Health 

The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education: A public/private partnership at the University of Minnesota that leads, coordinates and studies the advancement of collaborative, team-based health professions education and patient care as an efficient model for improving quality, outcomes and cost.