tion for patient advocacy. The concern is that within a collaborative group, advo- cacy may be compromised in the name of deferring to others’ opinions – this is different from compromise – either out of group pressure, or because of lack of strong identity either on the part of the advocating member, or the group’s per- ception of that member’s role. Deferring, compromise or dominating in any pa- tient situation should be based on “sound professional judgment and on an active evaluation of what is best for the client.” 5 IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION The profession of chiropractic is increas- ingly endorsing interprofessional collab- orative practice opportunities for a vari- ety of reasons. Along with its potential benefits, both in strengthening the profile of disciplines within the health care sys- tem and in providing more complete and accessible care for various patient popu- lations, studies have found that “success- ful collaborative efforts involved mecha- nisms for broad-based reform that affects clients, programs, policy and organiza- tional bureaucracy.” 6 On an individual level, though, a prac- titioner who is thinking of participating in an interprofessional collaborative prac- tice option must be sure that this type of environment is right for him/her, and must enter into it with a patient-centred mindset, but also with the firm realization that he/she will be representing the whole profession in all aspects of daily work. As one begins to delve into what ex- actly this means and entails, it becomes clear that it can be quite complex and that entrance into this sort of practice should reflect a well-informed and educated de- cision. Wither, then, should the training to inform and prepare DCs for successful collaboration ensue? Roy Romanov, on page 109 of his fi- nal report on the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada wrote: “. . . in view of . . . changing trends, correspond- ing changes must be made in the way health care providers are educated and trained. If health care providers are ex- pected to work together and share exper- tise in a team environment, it makes sense that their education and training should prepare them for this type of working arrangement.” Romanov’s statement points to the www.canadianchiropractor.ca institutions that train health care profes- sionals as ground-zero for each practitio- ner’s knowledge and understanding of the interprofessional collaboration process. By extension, continuing education ef- forts, on the part of colleges, associations, etc, can educate those already in practice on the finer points of collaborative work. The point is that good collaboration amongst health care providers, especially across the different disciplines, is not just something that necessarily springs into being naturally – its success, for all in- volved (especially patients), can be better assured if those who are called to partici- pate in it have some formal understand- ing of exactly what it is they are being asked to do, and how they can best do it. In Part 2 of this article, we will exam- ine practice situations and interprofessional collaborative work, in a variety of settings. REFERENCES FOR PART 1 1. Mailik, Mildred D. and Ardythe, Ashley, A. Politics of Interprofes- sional Collaboration: Challenge to Advocacy. The Journal of Contem- porary Casework, March 1981. page 2. Health Canada, Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient Centered Practice at http://www.hc- sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/hhr-rhs/strateg/inter- Westrom, K. et al. Individualized chiropractic and integrative care for low back pain: the design of a ran- domized clinical trial using a mixed- methods approach. Trials 2010, 11:24 at http://www.trialsjournal. com/info/instructions/ 4. Weiner, Hyman, Knowledge and Skills for Collaborative Care. Paper presented at the Institute on Col- laborative Practice in Health Care, Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York, 5. Bronstein, Laura, R. A Model for In- terdisciplinary Collaboration. Social 6. Mailik, Mildred D. and Ardythe, Ashley, A. Politics of Interprofes- sional Collaboration: Challenge to Advocacy. The Journal of Contem- porary Casework, March 1981. page
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