Interprofessional Education/Practice and Team-based Care

Policy Action Paper

Abstract

According to the Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice, the World Health Organization recognizes interprofessional collaboration in education and practice as an innovative strategy that will play an important role in mitigating the global health crisis.

The purpose of this policy action article is to synthesize and provide background and useful, practical recommendations for how local change agents can design and deliver interprofessional education (IPE) that supports the development of collaboration-ready practitioners who can effectively meet the needs within their local context.

The article concludes that now is the time for mass scale planning for phased change in education and practice that starts by building institutional capacity to host sustainable IPE programs and trace their impact on healthcare improvement.  The article provides 5 recommendations for regional and global leaders as concrete steps for adoption and implementation in their local communities.

The article serves as the beginning point of a toolbox for Academic Training Institutes (and the community in which interprofessional collaboration occurs) to adopt and implement interprofessional standards into their practices, with the intent of moving student-learning from the classroom into the field where patients and the interprofessional team – i.e. clinicians, cleaning personnel, community health workers – are.