Assessment of Interprofessional Teamwork — An International Perspective

This chapter is written on the understanding that there is a need for health professions students and qualified health professionals to be able to practise collaboratively and to deliver team-based health care in the 21st century. In a 2013 set of guidelines for the transformation of health professions education the World Health Organization suggests that ‘building on an approach of global collaborative leadership, efforts that are adaptive and flexible in various cultural and socioeconomic settings will be key to the successful implementation of these evidenceinformed guideline recommendations’ (WHO, 2013, p. 11). Moreover, leadership and good governance are crucial for education reform (WHO, 2013). While interprofessional education (IPE) may facilitate the process of becoming interprofessional, educators are continually challenged by the need to observe and assess teamwork, and learners to provide evidence that they are capable of working in teams. Teamwork is listed as a graduate attribute by many higher education institutions (HEIs), while the accreditation bodies of increasing numbers of the health professions globally are including teamwork and collaborative practice as core standards. Moreover, ‘leadership’ is also frequently included in the list of attributes required of health professionals, while some educators have suggested that ‘followership’ is also an important skill. However, there is a lack of valid and feasible assessment methods for use at the prequalification level.