Building Collaborative Care Though the Formation of Organizational Partnerships and Interprofessional Education in Clinical Learning Environments: A Case Study

Globally health professionals have continued to work and study in homogenous teams. Sufficient evidence indicates intentional interprofessional education enables collaborative practice; and collaborative practice strengthens health systems while improving overall outcomes. What is less known is how to implement, sustain, and excite interprofessional collaborative practice (IPECP) for the workforce within academic and health partnerships.

The research question and sub-question:

How did the formation of an academic and healthcare organizational partnership enable a team to transition from being co-located to collaborative?

What contributed to the formation of a high-quality interprofessional primary care clinical learning environment designed to be collaborative?Goals, objectives, and purpose: The purpose of this study was to achieve an in-depth understanding of the inception to implementation of an organizational partnership that contributed to the formation of a high-functioning interprofessional primary care clinic within a larger academic health system. The study also sought to explain the adaptive leadership behaviors that fostered the transition from co-location to collaboration.Methods/Methodology: A qualitative case approach was utilized. Nineteen participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling to represent the study site’s academic institution, health system, and patient-advocacy committee. In semi-structured reflective interviews and focus groups, these informants shared their perceived roles, responsibilities, and experiences. Documents and artifacts were also reviewed. The data was hand coded by the researcher. All IRB requirements were adhered to and ethical standards met.Results/Findings: Four primary themes emerged relative to adaptive leadership behaviors: leadership, shared mission, culture of collaboration, quadruple aim. Thirteen sub-themes were identified, answering the How and What of the research question and sub-question.Conclusions, implications, and/or curiosities: The findings resulted in a solution for sustainable and scalable IPECP infrastructure. The primary recommendation includes creating Interprofessional Clinical Faculty and an Interprofessional Workforce and Workplace Training Curriculum. The findings imply organizational infrastructure supports workplace learning, leading to system-wide innovation in partnership to meet the shared mission.