IPE/ICP Accreditation Standards

In recognition of the inconsistency across accrediting bodies on IPE/ICP standards, the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative (HPAC) released Guidance on Developing Quality Interprofessional Education for the Health Professions to provide additional guidance to institutions on implementing quality IPE. Specifically, HPAC adopted shared terminology, definitions, and competencies for IPE and ICP across the 25-member accreditors of HPAC.

As stated in the report, the goals of the guidance are to:¹

• Facilitate the preparation of health professional students for interprofessional collaborative practice through accreditor collaboration
• Provide consensus guidance to enable institutions to develop, implement, and evaluate systematic IPE approaches and IPE plans.

Endorsing HPAC members support the World Health Organization definition of interprofessional education defined as, “when students from two or more profession learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO, 2010), as well as student attainment of the four core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: Values/Ethics for Interprofessional Practice, Roles/Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communication, and Teams and Teamwork.²

For more information, please refer to this link to access HPAC IPE resources.

[1] Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative. (2019). Guidance on developing quality interprofessional education for the health professions. Chicago, IL: Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative.

[2] Interprofessional Education Collaborative (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, DC: Interprofessional Education Collaborative.

Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), Standards and Guidelines, Updated through May 2018.

IPE/ICP criteria are not reflected in the CAAHEP current standards.

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM),  2018 Health Information Management Accreditation Standards.

IPE/ICP criteria are not reflected in the CAHIIM 2018 Accreditation Standards.

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), 2017 Health Informatics Accreditation Standards, Effective January 1, 2018.

Introduction:
As with all other health professionals, the work of health informaticians affects the health, safety, and effectiveness of those working and being cared for within the system of health care delivery. Graduate students are expected to demonstrate the knowledge and skills, reflecting the domains of Professionalism, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, and Leadership.

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), 2017 Accreditation Standards for Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Programs, Updated January 26, 2018, Effective July 1, 2018.

Standard 5: Curriculum and Learning Activities
5.1.4: Governance of nutrition and dietetics practice, such as the Scope of Nutrition and Dietetics Practice and the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Nutrition and Dietetics; and interprofessional relationships in various practice settings.

Domain 2. Professional Practice Expectations: Beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors for the professional dietitian nutritionist level of practice.

KRDN 2.2: Describe the governance of nutrition and dietetics practice, such as the Scope of Nutrition and Dietetics Practice and the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Nutrition and Dietetics; and describe interprofessional relationships in various practice settings.

KRDN 2.5: Identify and describe the work of interprofessional teams and the roles of others with whom the registered dietitian nutritionist collaborates in the delivery of food and nutrition services.

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), 2018 ACOTE Standards and Interpretive Guide, Effective July 31, 2020.

Preamble (MS, OTD): Be prepared to effectively communicate and work interprofessionally with all who provide services and programs for persons, groups, and populations.

B.4.8 (MS, OTD): Interpret the evaluation data in relation to accepted terminology of the profession and explain the findings to the interprofessional team.

B.4.23 (MS, OTD): Identify occupational needs through effective communication with patients, families, communities, and members of the interprofessional team in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the promotion of health and wellness.

B.4.25 (MS, OTD): Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of interprofessional team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan, deliver, and evaluate patient- and population-centered care as well as population health programs and policies that are safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.

B.4.28 (MS, OTD): Develop a plan for discharge from occupational therapy services in collaboration with the client and members of the interprofessional team by reviewing the needs of the client, caregiver, family, and significant others; available resources; and discharge environment.

GLOSSARY
INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE: “Multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working with patients, families, carers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care” (WHO, 2010).

INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: When two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes (WHO, 2010).
“An educational activity that occurs between two or more professionals within the same discipline, with a focus on participants to work together, act jointly, and cooperate” (Jung et al., 2010, p. 235).

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, (CAPTE) Standards and Required Elements for Accreditation of Physical Therapist Education Programs, Effective January 1, 2016.

Standard 6F: The didactic and clinical curriculum includes interprofessional education[1]; learning activities are directed toward the development of interprofessional competencies  including, but not limited to, values/ethics, communication, professional roles and responsibilities, and teamwork. NOTE: this element will become effective January 1, 2018.

Standard 6L: The curriculum plan includes clinical education experiences for each student that encompass, but are not limited to: involvement in interprofessional practice.

Standard 7D7: Communicate effectively with all stakeholders, including patients/clients, family members, caregivers, practitioners, interprofessional team members, consumers, payers, and policymakers.

Standard 7D28: Manage the delivery of the plan of care that is consistent with professional obligations, interprofessional collaborations, and administrative policies and procedures of the practice environment.

Standard 7D37: Assess and document safety risks of patients and the healthcare provider and design and implement strategies to improve safety in the healthcare setting as an individual and as a member of the interprofessional healthcare team.

Standard 7D39: Participate in patient-centered interprofessional collaborative practice.

[1] Occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care (WHO, 2002).

Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), Accreditation Standards for Dental Education Programs

Collaboration with other Health Care Professionals
Access to health care and changing demographics are driving a new vision of the health care workforce. Dental curricula can change to develop a new type of dentist, providing opportunities early in their educational experiences to engage allied colleagues and other health care professionals. Enhancing the public’s access to oral health care and the connection of oral health to general health form a nexus that links oral health care providers to colleagues in other health professions. Health care professionals educated to deliver patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team present a challenge for educational programs. Patient care by all team members will emphasize evidence-based practice, quality improvement approaches, the application of technology and emerging information, and outcomes assessment. Dental education programs are to seek and take advantage of opportunities to educate dental school graduates who will assume new roles in safeguarding, promoting, and caring for the health care needs of the public.

Standard 2-20: Graduates must be competent in communicating and collaborating with other members of the health care team to facilitate the provision of health care.

Intent: In attaining competence, students should understand the roles of members of the health care team and have educational experiences, particularly clinical experiences, that involve working with other healthcare professional students and practitioners. Students should have educational experiences in which they coordinate patient care within the health care system relevant to dentistry.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs.

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
…Social workers understand the profession’s history, its mission, and the roles and responsibilities of the profession. Social Workers also understand the role of other professions when engaged in inter-professional teams.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may impact their ability to effectively engage with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers value principles of relationship-building and inter-professional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate. Social workers:

• apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and constituencies; and
• use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in the assessment of diverse clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of assessment with diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and value the importance of inter-professional collaboration in this process. Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may affect their assessment and decision-making. Social workers:

• collect and organize data, and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies;
• apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies;
• develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies; and
• select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment, research knowledge, and values and preferences of clients and constituencies.

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are knowledgeable about evidence-informed interventions to achieve the goals of clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to effectively intervene with clients and constituencies. Social workers understand methods of identifying, analyzing and implementing evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals. Social workers value the importance of interprofessional teamwork and communication in interventions, recognizing that beneficial outcomes may require interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and inter-organizational collaboration. Social workers:

• critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies;
• apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in interventions with clients and constituencies;
• use inter-professional collaboration as appropriate to achieve beneficial practice outcomes;
• negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of diverse clients and constituencies; and
• facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually agreed-on goals.

Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), Standards for Accreditation of Medical Education Programs Leading to the MD Degree, March 2018, Effective 2019-20 Academic Year.[1]

6.7 Academic Environments:
The faculty of a medical school ensure that medical students have opportunities to learn in academic environments that permit interaction with students enrolled in other health professions, graduate and professional degree programs, and in clinical environments that provide opportunities for interaction with physicians in graduate medical education programs and in continuing medical education programs.

7.8 Communication Skills:
The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical curriculum includes specific instruction in communication skills as they relate to communication with patients and their families, colleagues, and other health professionals.

7.9 Interprofessional Collaborative Skills:
The faculty of a medical school ensure that the core curriculum of the medical education program prepares medical students to function collaboratively on health care teams that include health professionals from other disciplines as they provide coordinated services to patients. These curricular experiences include practitioners and/or students from the other health professions.

[1] Standards are updated annually.

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Standards for Accreditation  of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs, Amended 2018.

III-H. The curriculum includes planned clinical practice experiences that:

• Foster interprofessional collaborative practice

Elaboration: To prepare students for a practice profession, each track in each degree program and each track in the post-graduate APRN certificate program affords students the opportunity to develop professional competencies and to integrate new knowledge in practice settings aligned to the educational preparation. Clinical practice experiences include opportunities for interprofessional collaboration. Clinical practice experiences are provided for students in all programs, including those with distance education offerings. Clinical practice experiences align with student and program outcomes. These experiences are planned, implemented, and evaluated to ensure students are competent to function as members of interprofessional teams at the level for which they are being prepared.

Programs that have a direct care focus (including, but not limited to, post-licensure baccalaureate and nurse educator tracks) provide direct care experiences designed to advance the knowledge and expertise of students in  a clinical area of practice.

Supporting Documentation for Standard III

The supporting documentation listed below is included in the self-study document or provided for review on site. CCNE recognizes that reasonable alternatives exist when providing documentation to address the key elements.

8. Examples of clinical practice experiences that prepare students for interprofessional collaborative practice.

The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice

Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving  Patient Health Outcomes (2008)

Rationale
Effective communication and collaboration among health professionals is imperative to  providing patient-centered care. All health professions are challenged to educate future  clinicians to deliver patient­centered care as members of an interprofessional team, emphasizing communication, evidence-based practice, quality improvement approaches, and informatics (IOM, 2003a). Interprofessional education is defined as interactive  educational activities involving two or more professions that foster collaboration to  improve patient care (Freeth, Hammick, Koppel, & Reeves, 2002). Teamwork among  healthcare professionals is associated with delivering high quality and safe patient care  (Barnsteiner, Disch, Hall, Mayer, & Moore, 2007). Collaboration is based on the  complementarities of roles and the understanding of these roles by the members of the  healthcare teams.

Interprofessional education enables the baccalaureate graduate to enter the workplace  with baseline competencies and confidence for interactions and with communication  skills that will improve practice, thus yielding better patient outcomes. Interprofessional  education can occur in a variety of settings. An essential component for the  establishment of collegial relationships is recognition of the unique discipline­-specific  practice spheres. Fundamental to effective interprofessional and intra­professional  collaboration is a definition of shared goals; clear role expectations of members; a  flexible decision-making process; and the establishment of open communication patterns and leadership. Thus, interprofessional education optimizes opportunities for the  development of respect and trust for other members of the healthcare team.

The baccalaureate program prepares the graduate to:

1. Compare/contrast the roles and perspectives of the nursing profession with other  care professionals on the healthcare team (i.e., scope of discipline, education and  licensure requirements).
2. Use inter­ and intraprofessional communication and collaborative skills to deliver  evidence-­based, patient­centered care.
3. Incorporate effective communication techniques, including negotiation and  conflict resolution to produce positive professional working relationships.
4. Contribute the unique nursing perspective to  interprofessional teams to optimize patient outcomes.
5. Demonstrate appropriate teambuilding  and  collaborative strategies when working  with interprofessional teams.
6. Advocate for high quality and safe patient care as a member of the  interprofessional team.

 Sample Content

• interprofessional and intraprofessional communication, collaboration, and  socialization, with consideration of principles related to communication with  diverse cultures
• teamwork/concepts of teambuilding/cooperative learning
• professional roles, knowledge translation, role boundaries, and diverse disciplinary perspectives
• relationship building
• navigating complex systems, system facilitation
• interdependence and resource sharing of healthcare professions
• individual accountability/shared accountability
• advocacy
• ethical codes and core values of different healthcare professions
• autonomy
• safety
• scopes of practice · conflict management, conflict resolution strategies, and negotiation
• group dynamics · principles of referral process for specialized services · participatory decision-making
• caring

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Standards for Accreditation  of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs, Amended 2018.

III-H. The curriculum includes planned clinical practice experiences that:

• Foster interprofessional collaborative practice

Elaboration: To prepare students for a practice profession, each track in each degree program and each track in the post-graduate APRN certificate program affords students the opportunity to develop professional competencies and to integrate new knowledge in practice settings aligned to the educational preparation. Clinical practice experiences include opportunities for interprofessional collaboration. Clinical practice experiences are provided for students in all programs, including those with distance education offerings. Clinical practice experiences align with student and program outcomes. These experiences are planned, implemented, and evaluated to ensure students are competent to function as members of interprofessional teams at the level for which they are being prepared.

Programs that have a direct care focus (including, but not limited to, post-licensure baccalaureate and nurse educator tracks) provide direct care experiences designed to advance the knowledge and expertise of students in  a clinical area of practice.

Supporting Documentation for Standard III

The supporting documentation listed below is included in the self-study document or provided for review on site. CCNE recognizes that reasonable alternatives exist when providing documentation to address the key elements.

8. Examples of clinical practice experiences that prepare students for interprofessional collaborative practice.

The Essential of Master’s Education in Nursing (2011)

Essential VII: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes

Rationale
In a redesigned health system a greater emphasis will be placed on cooperation, communication, and collaboration among all health professionals in order to integrate care in teams and ensure that care is continuous and reliable. Therefore, an expert panel at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) identified working in interdisciplinary teams as one of the five core competencies for all health professionals (IOM, 2003).

Interprofessional collaboration is critical for achieving clinical prevention and health promotion goals in order to improve patient and population health outcomes (APTR, 2008; 2009). Interprofessional practice is critical for improving patient care outcomes and, therefore, a key component of health professional education and lifelong learning (American Association of Colleges of Nursing & the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2010). The IOM also recognized the need for care providers to demonstrate a greater awareness to “patient values, preferences, and cultural values,” consistent with the Healthy People 2010 goal of achieving health equity through interprofessional approaches (USHHS, 2000). In this context, knowledge of broad determinants of health will enable the master’s graduate to succeed as a patient advocate, cultural and systems broker, and to lead and coordinate interprofessional teams across care environments in order to reduce barriers, facilitate access to care, and improve health outcomes. Successfully leading these teams is achieved through skill development and demonstrating effective communication, planning, and implementation of care directly with other healthcare professionals (AACN, 2007).

Improving patient and population health outcomes is contingent on both horizontal and vertical health delivery systems that integrate research and clinical expertise to provide patient-centered care. Inherently the systems must include patients’ expressed values, needs, and preferences for shared decision making and management of their care. As  members and leaders of interprofessional teams, the master’s-prepared nurse will actively communicate, collaborate, and consult with other health professionals to manage and coordinate care across systems.

The master’s-degree program prepares the graduate to:

1. Advocate for the value and role of the professional nurse as member and leader of interprofessional healthcare teams.
2. Understand other health professions’ scopes of practice to maximize contributions within the healthcare team.
3. Employ collaborative strategies in the design, coordination, and evaluation of patient-centered care.
4. Use effective communication strategies to develop, participate, and lead interprofessional teams and partnerships.
5. Mentor and coach new and experienced nurses and other members of the healthcare team.
6. Functions as an effective group leader or member based on an in-depth understanding of team dynamics and group processes.

Sample Content

• Scopes of practice for nursing and other professions
• Differing world views among healthcare team members
• Concepts of communication, collaboration, and coordination
• Conflict management strategies and principles of negotiation
• Organizational processes to enhance communication
• Types of teams and team roles
• Stages of team development
• Diversity of teams
• Cultural diversity
• Patient-centered care
• Change theories
• Multiple-intelligence theory
• Group dynamics
• Power structures
• Health-work environments

The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, October 2006.

Essential VI: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes
Today’s complex, multi-tiered health care environment depends on the contributions of highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals from multiple professions. In order to accomplish the IOM mandate for safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care in a complex environment, healthcare professionals must function as highly collaborative teams (AACN, 2004; IOM, 2003; O’Neil, 1998). DNP members of these teams have advanced preparation in the interprofessional dimension of health care that enable them to facilitate collaborative team functioning and overcome impediments to interprofessional practice. Because effective interprofessional teams function in a highly collaborative fashion and are fluid depending upon the patients’ needs, leadership of high performance teams changes. Therefore, DNP graduates have preparation in methods of effective team leadership and are prepared to play a central role in establishing interprofessional teams, participating in the work of the team, and assuming leadership of the team when appropriate.

The DNP program prepares the graduate to:

1. Employ effective communication and collaborative skills in the development and implementation of practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, standards of care, and/or other scholarly products.
2. Lead interprofessional teams in the analysis of complex practice and organizational issues.
3. Employ consultative and leadership skills with intraprofessional and interprofessional teams to create change in health care and complex healthcare delivery systems.

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), Accreditation Standards and Key Elements for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to The Doctor of Pharmacy Degree, Standards 2016.

Standard 11: Interprofessional Education (IPE): The curriculum prepares all students to provide entry-level, patient-centered care in a variety of practice settings as a contributing member of an interprofessional team. In the aggregate, team exposure includes prescribers as well as other healthcare professionals.

Key Elements:
11.1. Interprofessional team dynamics: All students demonstrate competence in interprofessional team dynamics, including articulating the values and ethics that underpin interprofessional practice, engaging in effective interprofessional communication, including conflict resolution and documentation skills, and honoring interprofessional roles and responsibilities. Interprofessional team dynamics are introduced, reinforced, and practiced in the didactic and Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) components of the curriculum, and competency is demonstrated in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) practice settings.

11.2. Interprofessional team education: To advance collaboration and quality of patient care, the didactic and experiential curricula include opportunities for students to learn about, from, and with other members of the interprofessional healthcare team. Through interprofessional education activities, students gain an understanding of the abilities, competencies, and scope of practice of team members. Some, but not all, of these educational activities may be simulations.

11.3. Interprofessional team practice: All students competently participate as a healthcare team member in providing direct patient care and engaging in shared therapeutic decision-making. They participate in experiential educational activities with prescribers/student prescribers and other student/professional healthcare team members, including face-to-face interactions that are designed to advance interprofessional team effectiveness.

Required Documentation for Standards and Key Elements 2016
Standard 11:

• Vision, mission, and goal statements related to IPE
• Statements addressing IPE and practice contained within student handbooks and/or catalogs.
• Relevant syllabi for required and elective didactic and experiential education courses that incorporate elements of IPE to document that concepts are reinforced throughout the curriculum and that IPE-related skills are practiced at appropriate times during preAPPE.
• Student IPPE and APPE evaluation data documenting extent of exposure to interprofessional, team-based patient care.
• Outcome data from assessments summarizing students’ overall achievement of expected interprofessional educational outcomes in the pre-APPE and APPE curriculum.

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), CAHME Eligibility Requirements and Accreditation Criteria, Rev. 06/01/2018

III.A Curriculum Design
III.A.3: The Program curriculum will facilitate development of students’ competencies in communications and interpersonal effectiveness.

III.B Teaching and Learning Methods
III.B.3: The Program will provide experiences for students to gain an understanding of, and to interact with, a variety of healthcare professionals and organizations.

The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), Accreditation Criteria, Amended October 2016.

Interprofessional Practice:
21. Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.

In this context, “interprofessional” refers to engagement with professionals (either students in other professions or practicing professionals) outside of public health (eg, architects, nurses), rather than engagement with individuals from other public health disciplines (eg, biostatisticians, health promotion specialists).

Policy & Programs:
17. Propose interprofessional team approaches to improving public health.

School- or program-level outcomes:

• Courses that are team-taught with interprofessional perspectives.

Leadership, Management & Governance:
6. Integrate knowledge, approaches, methods, value and potential contributions from multiple professions and systems in addressing public health problems.