Inter-professional Collaboration: Passing Fad or Way of the Future?

Abstract

The current focus is on the term ‘‘inter- professional collaboration,’’ which implies interaction between two or more professions, organized into a common effort to address common issues, with the participation of the patient. Inter-professional education, on the other hand, ‘‘occurs when two or more professions learn with, from, and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care.’’2 This definition emphasizes an inclusive view of the term ‘‘professional’’ and includes all learning in academic and clinical settings, before and after qualification. You will often see the term ‘‘inter-professional edu- cation’’ used to describe learner outcomes and ‘‘inter- professional collaboration’’ used to describe patient outcomes, and there is continuing debate about this. In reality there is overlap between the two, and I will be using both terms today. However, my intent is to focus on our collaborative relationships in the clinical setting.