Collaborative Practice and Patient Safety

Interprofessional collaborative practice is defined by the World Health Organization as a situation that occurs “when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care.”¹  The articles in this issue by Roberts, et al²  and Paradis, et al³  demonstrate that although we are working in the same environment and systems with our colleagues there are some major barriers to delivering high quality care. The inability to overcome the barriers to interprofessional collaborative practice puts patients at risk for unsafe care and negative outcomes.