1 The Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC)
The Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative [NewTab], or CIHC, is a group of health educators, policymakers, health providers, and students, professionals and researchers who work together to provide evidence and advice guiding interprofessional education (IPE) and collaboration (IPC) (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024).
The Interprofessional Competency Framework, and the Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration
In 2010 the CIHC published its first comprehensive competency framework to outline the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice. This original framework outlined six Interprofessional Competencies: Role Clarification; Patient/Client/Family/Community-centered Care; Team Functioning; Collaborative Leadership; Interprofessional Communication; and Interprofessional Conflict Resolution. Each competency is comprised of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) students need to be successful in Interprofessional Collaboration. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2010a)
After conducting a scoping review and interviewing IPECP experts as to how the 2010 framework was being used, an updated edition of the Interprofessional Competency Framework was released in 2024. The framework was rebranded as the Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration to be more inclusive of all care professions and the people receiving care. The 6 refreshed competencies include: Relationship-Focused Care/ Services; Team Communication; Role Clarification and Negotiation; Team Functioning; Team Differences/ Disagreements Processing; and Collaborative Leadership. Each competency within the new framework is discussed in more detail (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024).
Updated Competencies in the CIHC Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration (2024)
Figure 3 shows how the 6 competencies of the Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration intersect and connect with one another. The 3 factors on the outside of the diagram (Care and Service Settings; Complexity; and Inclusion, Access, and Equity) demonstrate concepts professionals must consider when using the framework. The competencies “Relationship-Focused Care/Services” and “Team Communication” are in the center of the diagram, because they each influence and aide the four other competencies. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Figure 3: CIHC Core Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration [NewTab] (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024).
Components of the CIHC Core Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration (2024)
Relationship-Focused Care/Services: This competency focuses on healthy relationships. All members of a team will dynamically collaborate, fostering purposeful relationships among and between care/service partners and persons participating in or receiving care/services. Students exhibiting this competency will continuously actively cultivate culturally safe and trusting relationships, promoting respect, support and open discussion. When caring for an individual, they will reflect on, value, and embed diversity of thought, beliefs, talents, literacy, and experiences of people and communities into designing, implementing and evaluating care/services. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Team Communication: Care providers foster respectful, open and authentic communications that are accessible to all, using active listening and common language, while paying attention to both the content and the relational elements of communication. They will take the necessary measures to maintain confidentiality and privacy regarding health information and documentation. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Role Clarification and Negotiation: In this competency all team members seek to understand the knowledge, skills, expertise, and values of other team members, including person(s) participating in or receiving care/service; They recognize and respect the diversity of other health and social care roles, responsibilities, and competencies in a specific context. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Team Functioning: Team members work interdependently bringing their diverse backgrounds and experiences together. They consider EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) factors and the needs of both individuals receiving care, and one another. They collectively reflect on team functioning and enact continuous quality improvement measures. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Team Differences and Disagreements Processing: All team members acknowledge, recognize, and value the inevitable and potential positive nature of differences in a team, know and understand effective strategies, including setting guidelines, for addressing disagreement or conflict. They establish a safe environment in which to express diverse opinions, developing a level of consensus among those with differing views. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Collaborative Leadership: All members of a team value each other’s knowledge, skills, and expertise, and acknowledge that everyone contributes different strengths and perspectives. They value and support each other and are accountable in sharing decision-making and responsibilities to reach common goals and achievable or desirable health outcomes. They establish and maintain an ongoing sharing of leadership, accountability, and collaborative practice. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Inclusion, Access and Equity: In order to effectively collaborate, teams must be mindful of the diversity of the persons with whom they are working, including differences in culture, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and socio-economic positions—all of which can overlap within a single person—as well as the impact that these determinants have on access to health and social care and services. Providers must attempt to decrease their own perceived biases, and help remove obstacles to care that individuals may have. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Complexity: Healthcare providers need to consider how biological, psychological and social factors can add complexity to an individual’s health concern, prognosis, and management. They must collaborate with other providers to support all components of an individual’s health. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
Care and Service Settings: When healthcare team members are not all in the same setting, they must consider additional techniques (e.g. online meetings) to facilitate effective communication and collaboration. (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2024)
For more information about the CIHC and the Competency Framework for Advancing Collaboration, visit the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative website.
