Establishing professional regulatory systems and processes (including for quality assurance measures and scopes of practice that facilitate effective collaborations) is among a number of new recommendations made to governments by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) recently. The recommendations are in an updated policy statement focusing on interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP), that replaces the 2010 FIP statement. The new statement reflects an evolved understanding of ICP and aligns with contemporary practices to enhance patient care across different healthcare settings.
“Effective ICP can lead to improved access to health interventions, reduced burnout among healthcare professionals and better health outcomes, according to the World Health Professions Alliance. It contributes to a comprehensive, coordinated and safe health system that is responsive to the needs of both the population and individual patients. Working with others is one of the FIP Development Goals (Development Goal 8). The purpose is to strengthen the contributions of pharmacists by enhancing their effective collaboration with other healthcare professionals across the health system,” said Mr Luís Lourenço, co-chair of the Policy Committee, and FIP Professional Secretary.
The policy statement asserts that in response to recent technological and demographic shifts alongside growing specialisation in healthcare delivery, collaborative efforts between pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have extended to services such as dietetics for diabetes and obesity, and psychology for mental illness. “FIP is highlighting that interprofessional education is a necessary requirement to develop pharmacists to practise in such a collaborative manner,” said Professor Jill Boone policy committee co-chair.
The updated statement of policy makes some 37 recommendations for action by governments and policy-makers, academia, and pharmacists, in order to improve ICP.
The policy statement also sets out commitments by FIP, including to advocate for pharmacists’ access to accurate patient data (and the ability to modify it), and to collaborate with academia and member organisations on pharmacist training and life-long learning related to ICP. In addition, FIP will contribute to benchmarking ICP implementation to assess progress and effectiveness at a national level.
