Interprofessional Shared Decision-Making in Clinical Settings
This paper examines interprofessional engagement and shared decision-making (SDM) in clinical healthcare settings, with particular attention to the role of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) leaders. It covers the definition and history of interprofessional collaboration, its impact on healthcare delivery, and a six-step framework for implementing SDM — from assembling clinical teams and identifying decisions to selecting patient decision aids, providing training, defining team responsibilities, and monitoring outcomes. The paper also addresses Joint Commission accreditation and analyzes three specific deficiencies identified in the 2020 HFAP Quality Review, proposing DNP-led clinical changes and SDM-based approaches to resolve each deficiency.
- Introduction to Interprofessional Engagement in Healthcare: Definition, history, and healthcare impact of interprofessional engagement
- Six Steps for Implementing Interprofessional Shared Decision-Making: Stepwise SDM framework from team assembly to monitoring
- Patient Decision Aids and International Standards: IPDAS framework and selection of patient decision aid tools
- Training, Team Roles, and Outcome Monitoring: SDM training programs, team responsibilities, and outcome measurement
- Accreditation and Healthcare Quality Standards: Joint Commission accreditation purpose and cycle overview
- DNP Leaders Addressing Clinical Deficiencies: DNP-led solutions for three HFAP quality review deficiencies
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What makes this paper effective
- Organizes a complex, multi-part topic into a clear sequential framework (six steps), making abstract concepts concrete and actionable for clinical practitioners.
- Consistently connects theoretical frameworks — such as IPDAS criteria and DNP core competencies — to real-world applications, including specific accreditation deficiencies and proposed remedies.
- Balances breadth and depth by addressing interprofessional collaboration from multiple angles: historical context, patient-facing tools, team dynamics, and governance-level oversight.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied synthesis: it draws on peer-reviewed literature, professional standards, and accreditation frameworks to build a practical, evidence-based implementation guide. Rather than simply summarizing sources, the author integrates them into each step of the SDM framework, showing how academic evidence informs clinical decision-making workflows and DNP practice competencies.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with foundational definitions and historical context for interprofessional engagement, then moves through a stepwise SDM implementation framework (Steps 1–6). The middle section focuses on patient decision aids and international quality standards. The final sections address Joint Commission accreditation and analyze three HFAP deficiencies, proposing DNP-led solutions for each. This progression moves from theory to practice to institutional accountability.
Introduction to Interprofessional Engagement in Healthcare
Although no universal definition exists, interprofessional engagement can be regarded as the collaboration that occurs between professionals from different disciplines who work together to identify and solve problems and formulate treatment strategies. The engagement process is based on a teamwork approach that draws on the knowledge and experience of various fields to develop comprehensive solutions to frequently complex problems (Fang, 2023).
It is reasonable to suggest that humankind has relied on interprofessional engagement in some form since time immemorial, when different people were recognized as possessing prized skills not shared by many others. In a modern context, however, the history of interprofessional engagement can be traced to the late 1960s, when "teamwork became the cornerstone for effective collaboration as primary care centers" (Barr, 2019).
Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare settings allows professionals from diverse backgrounds to cooperate as a coordinated unit. This team-based approach draws on the unique talents and viewpoints of various disciplines to enhance patient care. Working together fosters mutual understanding and respect between team members. It also provides opportunities to learn best practices from one another, which facilitates the detection and prevention of medical errors while speeding intervention when risks emerge (The Importance of Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare, 2023).
Contributions from administrators, physicians, IT staff, and nurses facilitate the development of documentation tools, communication platforms, and data infrastructure to capture real-time patient insights at the bedside. By working within an interprofessional framework, nurses can help shape future best practices rather than simply adopting new policy guidelines (Clark et al., 2023).
Implementing interprofessional shared decision-making (SDM) within a clinical setting is a stepwise process intended to maximize the value of contributions from each team member by drawing on their respective areas of expertise, including doctors of nursing practice (DNPs). In this context, the DNP essentials outline core competencies for nursing's highest practice degree in order to equip nurses to be effective leaders and clinicians. Several of these essential areas specifically relate to DNP competencies for facilitating shared decision-making, as discussed further below.
References
Barr, H. (2019, April 1). Medicine and the making of interprofessional education. British Journal of General Practice, 60(573), 296–299.
Clarke, A. J., Burgess, A., van Diggele, C., Bloomfield, J., Schneider, C., Kalman, E., & Walton, M. (2023). Improving patient safety: Engaging students in interprofessional team-based learning (TBL). Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 20(5).
Elwyn, G. et al. (2006, August 14). Developing a quality criteria framework for patient decision aids: Online international Delphi consensus process. British Medical Journal, 2–6.
Fang, B. (2023). Bridging the gap between research and practice of engagement: Toward a collaborative human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 25(2), 95–115.
The importance of interprofessional collaboration in healthcare. (2023, September 10). Johnson & Johnson: Nursing. Retrieved from https://nursing.jnj.com/getting-real-nursing-today/the-importance-of-interprofessional-collaboration-in-healthcare
LeGare, F. et al. (2011, January). Interprofessionalism and shared decision-making in primary care: A stepwise approach towards a new model. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 25(1), 18–25.
Marks, L., O'Sullivan, L., Pytel, K., & Parkosewich, J. A. (2022). Using a teach-back intervention significantly improves knowledge, perceptions, and satisfaction of patients with nurses' discharge medication education. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 19(6), 458–466.
Our mission and vision. (2024). Joint Commission. Retrieved from
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