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Implement Leading Practices

Implement Organizational Structures and Processes that Facilitate Collaborative Working Practices

• Engage health professionals in the discussion of distinct and shared responsibilities among team members to promote effective collaborative practice.
• Provide clarity on the role of all providers working within team environments; foster respect for the contributions of all providers.
• Engage employers, regulatory bodies, educators, practitioners, unions, and policy makers in dialogue about strategies for improving the utilization of all health professionals.
• Employ effective change management strategies when introducing new staff mix models.
• Promote inclusiveness (for all health providers), create working conditions and positive working relationships that enable and support collaborative practice from a broad perspective.
• Collaborate with policy makers and agencies responsible for monitoring and reporting on health system performance to address the current inadequacy of databases that allow linkage of unit or program level staff mix and contextual data to patient/client, provider, and system outcomes.
• Put in place policies that will allow each regulated profession to function to the maximum of her or his professional practice abilities according to the respective provincial/territorial licensing body.
• Create leaders to foster collaborative practice in all healthcare settings (provide technical/ process assistance in team functioning, education, information, resources, feedback).
• Develop collaborative/multidisciplinary teams and provide dedicated time for direct dialogue to address factors that influence team function and increase its capacity for effectiveness (e.g. factors at the practice level, organizational factors and social factors that can affect teamwork).
• Consider the influence of financial incentives/rewards for teamwork.
• Educate team members in factors that influence team effectiveness (include: knowledge of health professional roles, ability to communicate effectively, ability to reflect on the effect of health professional's roles/attitudes related to mutual trust, and willingness to collaborate).
• Optimize staff participation in clinical decision making (within and across disciplines) and develop new models of care that involve patient/client advocacy groups to address the role of patients/clients, families and caregivers.
• Reduce the amount of time health professionals spend on tasks that do not require their specific skills and competencies.
• Implement a diversity program to address and celebrate intergenerational, cultural, language, etc. differences.