Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is a cornerstone of today's healthcare organizations. IPC is intended to address fragmentation in healthcare systems and increasingly complex healthcare needs, which exceed the expertise of one profession. It requires that clinicians from different professions work together with patients, their families, carers, and communities to provide comprehensive services and quality care. Often linked to quality improvement initiatives, IPC is thought to enhance health outcomes, patient safety and satisfaction, and quality of care. Depending on the interdependence between collaborating clinicians, IPC practices can take various forms. The effectiveness of IPC depends on a set of interrelated factors involving healthcare systems and policy, healthcare organizations, interprofessional teams, and individuals. Communication is a key element of IPC effectiveness but remains undertheorized in much IPC literature. While IPC communication entails the accurate and timely transfer of information, it is also how clinicians negotiate and define patient care, and establish relationships with team members, patients, and their families. Health communication scholars can thus contribute nuanced understandings of IPC communicative practices. Future research should investigate the role of artifacts and especially the role of the person receiving IPC care.
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