Implementing Interprofessional Education and Collaboration

Knowledge and research in interprofessional education and collaboration are increasingly adopted and practiced by many health institutions and universities worldwide. The impetus for that is to improve collaboration between health care professionals and ultimately improve patient care. In this regard, new generations of students and health care policies have posed different challenges to educators and educational institutions. In this chapter, we are proposing some strategies to improve health professional education programs and their products through collaborative, interprofessional co-education. Our goal is to promote interprofessional education and collaboration among health professions to develop insights, shared knowledge, and teamwork skills that promote effective collaboration to deliver high and efficient quality care. To achieve this goal we are proposing four objectives (initiatives). First initiative, is to develop core and common competencies for health sciences professionals. Second, to develop core interprofessional courses. Third, to create a database of suitable faculty with their areas of expertise in interprofessional education. Fourth initiative, is to create suitable clinical, laboratory, and community environments to practice interprofessional education. Summary of these strategies concluded this chapter.