397chapter SEVENTEEN
Interdisciplinary and Interprofessional
Collaboration: Essential for the
Doctoral Advanced Practice Nurse
Julie Cowan Novak
A series of Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports— To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health
System (IOM, 2000); Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century
(IOM, 2001); Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality (IOM, 2003), and The Future
of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (IOM, 2010)— were the tipping points in the
discourse related to patient satisfaction, safety, quality, access, and cost- effective health
care delivery; the Triple Aim , “ The Future of Nursing report, had more Internet hits than any
other IOM report” (Dr. Kenneth Shine, 2013, former vice chancellor of Health Sciences,
University of Texas System and former IOM president, UT System, “Lessons Learned from
a Lifetime of Quality Improvement”). The public reaction to these reports was significant.
The reports catalyzed patient safety and quality research, improvement science, clinical
translational science, evidence- based practice (EBP), and the critical role that nursing must
play in the future of health care. These IOM reports were foundational to the development
of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Health care summits across the United
States resulted in common themes, including consumer- driven health care; basic univer-
sal health care for all; interoperability of electronic health records; new models of care for
nurse- managed clinic systems; and interprofessional education (IPE), practice, and research
to promote collaboration (Rapala & Novak, 2007). The reports were extremely helpful in
developing early DNP programs from 2000 to 2005 before the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing (AACN) DNP essentials (AACN, 2006). The Affordable Care Act
(2010) , the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Delivery System Reform Incentive
Payment (DSRIP) program, and health care reform legislation at the regional, state, and
federal levels further support this revolution in nursing education.
■ SCOPE
This chapter describes the development and sustainability of interprofessional partner-
ships for DNP program enrichment. Unique and traditional IPE and interdisciplinary
partners and effects on curricular redesign are to be presented. Interdisciplinary prac-
tice inquiry projects that build the evidence base and lead to documented outcomes,