Interprofessional collaboration: A public policy healthcare transformation call for action

Abstract

The United States faces a health system crisis from evolving and lingering social, economic, and political issues complicated by a global pandemic. However, it is the same crisis that presents opportunities for transformation as the nation evaluates how best to address the vulnerabilities, inequities, and inefficiencies of fragmented healthcare exposed during a period of extreme systemic strain on the healthcare system. The National Academies of Practice (NAP) is well positioned as the oldest interprofessional health sciences organization, to lead advocacy efforts in a comprehensive approach for inclusive care that is modeled on interprofessional collaborative practice. NAP recognizes that the scope of healthcare extends traditional hospital boundaries into communities and homes. Further, NAP advocates for intentional interprofessional education of pre-licensure and post-licensure health professionals as a requirement to foster a paradigm shift in healthcare where the patient and family are central and active members of decision making. The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation of the ongoing strategic goals, initiatives, and core tenets of NAP that are focused on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP), Interprofessional Education (IPE), and now Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Practice (IPECP). Further, NAP examines current healthcare system issues in a defining manner and offers viable action plans for NAP and others to support a paradigm shift in the framework for health system transformation.