A proposed interprofessional oath

Abstract

Identifying and capitalizing on shared professional values, health-care professionals have the potential to promote collaboration and facilitate enhanced patient outcomes. This paper describes a qualitative study that sought to identify values shared among health-care professionals through the development of an interprofessional health-care provider oath. Core competencies for collaborative practice of all health-care workers were delineated by the recent report from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel and these include values and ethics of collaboration as well as an understanding of team roles. This proposed interprofessional oath was developed from a qualitative analysis of oaths developed by interprofessional teams of health-care students. Using Colaizzi’s method, 18 oaths were evaluated to identify significant statements, formulated meanings, and themes. A proposed interprofessional oath was developed based on these elements and is offered for consideration along with discussion of the potential benefits and challenges of an interprofessional oath.