Healthcare teams subject of new competency reports

New competency reports for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals aim to set forth strategies that will help providers work together better.

The first report, “Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice,” was produced in 2009 by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), a panel of experts made up of 6 associations: the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Association of Osteopathic Medicine, the American Dental Education Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Association of Schools of Public Health.

The second report, “Team-Based Competencies: Building a Shared Foundation for Education and Clinical Practice,” seeks to prepare faculty to teach students how to work effectively as team members. It will be part of an education campaign illustrating the link between collaborative healthcare teams and high-quality, safe, and cost-sensitive treatment, according to IPEC.

“Team-based healthcare is clearly an important part of the change we are going to have to make to improve the quality of our healthcare system. IPEC’s efforts are a major step forward in making that change,” said Lucinda L. Maine, PhD, RPh, executive vice president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The IPEC panel recommends that future healthcare professionals be able to communicate with patients, families, communities, and other healthcare professionals in support of a team approach to preventing disease; perform effectively in various team roles to deliver patient/population-centered care that is safe, timely, and effective; embrace the cultural diversity and differences of healthcare teams; and assert the ethics of interprofessional practice by placing respect for patients and their interests and dignity at the center of healthcare delivery.

To download the reports or for more information, visit www.aamc.org.