A comparative study of professional and interprofessional values between health professional associations

Abstract

The need for effective interprofessional collaboration to ensure safe patient care is crucial. However, health professions are guided by separate professional codes of conduct. To examine whether professional codes are consistent across professions, this review examines 13 key health professional associations in the United States and compares their values to the guiding principles of interprofessional practice defined by the Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative (IPC). Findings indicate that all six of the IPC’s principles (altruism/caring, excellence, ethics, respect, communication, and accountability) were shared by the majority of professions, with many emphasizing two additional attributes, integrity and justice, suggesting there is room to expand the IPC’s core principles. Few associations included interprofessional communication and collaboration in their professional codes. There is potential for associations to promote greater interprofessional collaboration by reshaping their professional frameworks. With many shared values across professions, establishing a common framework of interprofessional professionalism is feasible.