Abstract
Professional collaboration is challenging when resources are minimal and communication is compromised, as is the case in many parts of Africa. In this article, a group of health professionals from the North-West Region of Cameroon report on efforts to improve within-profession, interprofessional and interorganisational collaboration in eye care services. The article describes what collaboration is in healthcare and how it benefits patients, professionals and health systems, using eye and vision care services as an example. Obstacles such as the absence of a coordinated eye care system and the lack of institutional support are described. Seven successful strategies to promote collaboration in this context are identified, and their applications in this context are described. These strategies are as follows: being committed to collaboration; being client-focused; supporting interprofessional and continuing education; embracing new technologies; building relationships between professional groups; building relationships with organisational administrators; and building relationships in healthcare systems. Three additional aspirational strategies are: developing regional healthcare programmes; developing professional and continuing education programmes; and developing collaborative patient and public education. By providing this open report, the authors aim to stimulate discussion about how collaboration and cooperation improve quality healthcare services and support professional career development.
Highlights
Professional collaboration can be extremely challenging in settings where resources are minimal and there are many demands on time, energy and money
This article reports on how a group of health professionals in a low-resource African setting realised their efforts to improve interprofessional collaboration, addressing interprofession and interorganisational collaborative practices despite many challenges
We begin by describing what collaboration is and briefly review the literature about why collaboration is important in health and vision care, regardless of the context
Summary
Professional collaboration can be extremely challenging in settings where resources are minimal and there are many demands on time, energy and money. The World Health Organization recognises the importance of collaboration and provides this definition of what it looks like in healthcare practice: Collaborative practice in health-care occurs when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working with patients, their families, carers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings. Practice includes both clinical and http://www.avehjournal.org Open Access. Vision specialists are one of the healthcare groups that is needed in Africa.[9]
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