Competencies for Collaborative Practice: An Interpretive Description of Informant Guidance

Health and social care systems continue to evolve as complexity of health challenges and societal needs increase. Collaborative care, guided by national frameworks, enhances comprehensive and efficient responses to these needs. This qualitative study aims to explore how collaborative practice experts, including healthcare leaders/practitioners/educators and client/family partners, describe competencies needed to guide collaborative practice for today’s healthcare landscape.Methods/methodology: Researchers used an Interpretive Description [1] approach to analyze data from national and international focus group participants. The data was previously collected to inform revisions to the 2010 CIHC National Interprofessional Competencies Framework [2].Results: Preliminary themes suggest collaborative practice competencies must emphasize the patient/family as a team member, deepen cultural humility among providers, highlight patient safety, facilitate a nuanced appreciation of social determinants driving access to care, and translate to virtual care settings.Conclusions, implications, and curiosities: To support students, clinicians, educators, and patients in addressing the complex needs within our health and social care systems, it is important to have clear competencies and strategies to guide practices for collaborative approaches to care. Recommendations suggested can improve communication and navigation of expanded team structures to promote quality care and enhanced health outcomes.