Interprofessional Education

In 2006, the 59th World Health Assembly responded to the human resources for health crisis by adopting resolution WHA59.23 which called for a rapid scaling-up of health workforce production through various strategies including the use of “innovative approaches to teaching in industrialized and developing countries”. Governments around the world are looking for innovative, systemtransforming solutions that will ensure the appropriate supply, mix and distribution of the health workforce. One of the most promising solutions can be found in interprofessional collaboration.

The Institute of Medicine study Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001) recommended that an interdisciplinary summit be held to further reform of health professions education in order to enhance quality and patient safety. Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality is the follow up to that summit, held in June 2002, where 150 participants across disciplines and occupations developed ideas about how to integrate a core set of competencies into health professions education. These core competencies include patient-centered care, interdisciplinary teams, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics. This book recommends a mix of approaches to health education improvement, including those related to oversight processes, the training environment, research, public reporting, and leadership. Educators, administrators, and health professionals can use this book to help achieve an approach to education that better prepares clinicians to meet both the needs of patients and the requirements of a changing health care system.