Professionalism as an Individual and Part of a Team

Original Editor - Wanda van Niekerk based on the course by Benita Olivier

Top Contributors - Wanda van Niekerk and Jess Bell  

Interprofessional Collaboration Beyond Boundaries

Definitions of Different Types of Collaboration

• Multiprofessional collaboration
  • different professions working alongside one another

• Interprofessional collaboration
  • “Consistent demonstration of core values evidenced by professionals working together, aspiring to, and wisely applying principles of altruism and caring, excellence, ethics, respect, communication and accountability to achieve optimal health and wellness in individuals and communities” as defined by the Interprofessional Professionalism Collaboration (IPC)

• Transdisciplinary professionalism
  • “an approach to creating and carrying out a shared social contract that ensures multiple health disciplines, working in concert, are worthy of the trust of patients and the public in order to improve the health of patients and their communities”

Read more about the attributes and behaviours of professionalism here.

If you'd like, you can refresh your memory about examples and drivers of unprofessional behaviour here.

Achieving Interprofessional Collaboration

All healthcare professionals need to recognise the value of each profession's knowledge and skills. Every professional's contribution should be deemed essential to the care of a patient. This means that barriers such as "stereotyping, professional/interdepartmental silos, hierarchical perceptions and turf wars" between professions should be addressed. This will help create a collaborative environment. All healthcare professionals (students, professionals and healthcare systems) need to be on this journey of working together.

Key Principles for Interprofessional Collaboration

Some key principles to consider are:

• mutual respect for all team members
• communication should be open and effective
• shared-decision making involves all team members in the decision-making process

Other important principles include:

• responsibility
• accountability
• coordination
• cooperation
• assertiveness
• autonomy
• mutual trust

The Sunnybrook framework of core competencies for interprofessional team collaboration identifies six core competencies (see table below):

Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaboration (adapted from McLaney et al., 2022)

Competency	Definition	Suggested strategies for team members
Communication	"Interprofessional teams seek to achieve common understanding when communicating across roles and professions. They are attentive to actively providing information to and seeking information from team members and other teams to ensure a thorough understanding of the situation. They create processes and tools and select varied media/approaches to enhance the exchange of information within and across teams."	Information exchange in a specific and timely manner within and across a team – develop processes for this Know which team members should be involved in information exchange and know what information should be exchanged Use language that is common among the different professions, avoid jargon and acronyms, and explain and make sure all team members understand
Interprofessional conflict resolution	"Interprofessional teams respond to anticipated or occurring conflict situations with appropriate and skilled interventions in a timely manner by collaborating to create a range of solutions."	Proactively and effectively address conflict Be an open-minded listener to different opinions and ideas from diverse professions Difficult issues should be discussed and mutual ground and solutions found
Shared decision-making	"Interprofessional teams decide collaboratively on plans. Team members come together to determine appropriate actions. Where necessary, teams decide who will make the final decision and who holds accountability for which tasks."	Interprofessional care plans in the best interests of patients and families/carers should be created There should be collaborative decision-making on learning goals across all professions Accountability should be identified and designated, especially where there is a role overlap between professions
Reflection	"Interprofessional teams learn from their history and experiences. Team reflection is both process and performance-oriented. Team members identify what they are doing well and what can be improved. They are attentive to optimizing how they interact with one another and the impact that their team function may have on patient care/collective work."	Create time for ongoing team reflection Have processes and tools in place for reflection Celebrate successes Strategise to address gaps in collaborations Appraise how the team is doing by using concepts, such as team development and team dynamics
Role clarification	"Interprofessional teams ensure that members understand each other’s roles, scopes, and expertise. They explore interdependencies between their roles and optimize each member’s scope with consideration of repetition and redundancies."	Professionals can describe their role and scope of practice to other team members Team members actively seek to understand other members’ roles and scope of practice Professionals acknowledge their limitations and consult with team members
Interprofessional values and ethics	"Interprofessional teams create a climate of transparency, openness and willingness to collaborate. They maintain an inclusive approach and every team member’s perspective is valued."	Professionals should speak with positive regard when discussing the roles and professions of other team members Aim to provide a safe environment for professionals to speak up Acknowledge and consider "the values and ethics of the organisation, regulatory bodies and team members in team discussions"

Cultural Competence and Sensitivity

Cultural competence in healthcare is the ability of healthcare providers to deliver high-quality care to patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. It involves understanding and respecting the cultural differences, values, beliefs, and practices of patients and their families, and adapting healthcare services to meet their unique needs. “It is an encompassing open-mindedness and respect for people, families and societies of various cultural backgrounds.”

Healthcare providers need to be aware of their own cultural biases and assumptions, as well as those of their patients, and to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries. Providing care that is sensitive to the cultural nuances of patients, including their language, customs and values is essential in healthcare. It can improve health outcomes, increase patient satisfaction and reduce health disparities.

If you would like to learn more, you can read more about:

• Cultural Competence and Access to Healthcare for Displaced Persons
• Cultural Competence in Rehabilitation
• Culture and Communication
• Implicit Bias in Healthcare

Key Principles When Working with Different Cultures

Principles to consider when providing healthcare to different cultures include:

• self-awareness
• cultural knowledge and awareness
• respectful communication
• collaborative care

Strategies to Foster Cultural Competence

The following strategies can help foster cultural competence:

• cultural competence training
• diverse workforce and inclusive practices
• language services and communication tools

Navigating Regulations, Licensing and Ethical Standards

Reasons to adhere to regulations, licensing and ethical standards include:

• patient safety and quality of care
• professional integrity and trust

Navigating Regulatory Frameworks

Ways to navigate regulatory frameworks include:

• understanding the regulatory bodies relevant to your profession
• being informed about licensing requirements

Ethical Standards

Ethical standards in healthcare can include the following:

• codes of ethics
  • if you'd like to learn more, you can read about:
    • Ethics, Principles and Values
    • Ethical Issues in Private Practice Setting
    • Ethical Considerations in the Child and Adolescent Athlete
    • Ethics in Disasters and Conflicts
• informed consent and confidentiality
• conflict of interest management
• professionalism and accountability
  • continuous professional development

Respect for Your Profession and Workplace

Professional respect means treating others, yourself and your profession with courtesy, dignity and esteem. It means that your colleagues feel that their skills, experience and knowledge are valued. Working in an environment where professional respect is present can lead to:

• enhanced team dynamics
• colleagues feeling that their work is more meaningful and purposeful
• improved patient-centred care

Social Responsibility

Social responsibility in healthcare is the professional duty of healthcare professionals to impact and improve the health of their society. This includes:

• diagnosing the social causes of disparities in health outcomes
• providing local and systemic interventions

Social determinants of health are defined as the circumstances in which humans are born, develop, live, earn and age. The distribution of money, power and resources influences these circumstances. These circumstances include:

• education access and quality
• social and community context
• food security
• economic stability
• healthcare access and quality
• neighbourhood and built environment

Read more about social determinants of health here.

Socially Responsible Healthcare Professionals

Some strategies to become a socially responsible healthcare professional include:

• having a proactive approach to preventative healthcare and public health education
• engaging with your local communities
• advocating for policies that promote health equity, access to care and social justice
• engaging in global health initiatives
• embracing cultural competence