Interprofessional Care: A Blueprint for Action - HealthForceOntario

Chapter 3:
Blueprint for Action
At a Glance
All stakeholders must work in partnership to implement an effective interprofessional care strategy.
This Blueprint addresses the four directions needed for interprofessional care to be practiced:
A. Building the foundation
B. Sharing the responsibility
C. Implementing systemic enablers
D. Leading sustainable cultural change
This Blueprint for action identifies approaches that
will help to integrate interprofessional care into
existing systems, legislation and infrastructures.
All participants in the health care and education
sectors must do their part to ensure the successful
implementation of these directions and actions. The
following directions identified during the consultation
process (see Chapter 2) should be addressed:
• Building the foundation: The building process
begins with the education system, which needs
to prepare current and future caregivers to
work within interprofessional care models. New
health care providers entering the system should
be trained to provide care in a collaborative
environment, and students should be
encouraged to join their local interprofessional
health science students’ association. Educators
at universities and colleges need to be supported
to incorporate interprofessional education
into existing curriculum or develop new
curriculum. Professional development programs
on interprofessional care should be offered to
ensure maintenance of this competency once
health care providers are in practice.
• Sharing the responsibility: Professions
need to review their standards of practice
with a view to integrating interprofessional
collaborative, team-based approaches.
Professions should practice within their full
scope of practice, consistent with safe care.
Unions and management should be open to
including interprofessional care concepts in
collective agreements.
• Implementing systemic enablers: Legislation
and liability coverage for all health care
providers must be reviewed, paying specific
attention to the meaning of professional
responsibility and accountability within teambased
structures.
All participants in the health care
and education sectors must do their part
to ensure a successful implementation.
Interprofessional Care: A Blueprint for Action Page 21