An International Competency Framework for High-Quality Workforce Development in Integrated Care (IC): A Modified...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Interprofessional Practice
• Global Health Workforce Development

Background:

• Growing demand for integrated care (IC) training among health and social care professionals.
• Lack of a standardized definition for key competencies and implementation strategies in IC education.
• Need for a global framework to guide IC workforce development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a global consensus on essential competencies for integrated care (IC) workforce training.
• To identify key themes and training models for IC education.
• To inform the development of international guidelines for IC workforce development.

Main Methods:

• Modified Delphi consensus-building method with international experts.
• Scoping review to identify potential competencies and training features.
• Two iterative, anonymous Delphi rounds to assess competency importance and training models.

Main Results:

• Consensus reached on eight domains and 40 competencies for IC training.
• Highest importance assigned to person-centred care, interprofessional teamwork, and care coordination.
• Lower rankings for professional workforce attributes.

Conclusions:

• Provides a global consensus on essential competencies for integrated care (IC) workforce training.
• Offers recommendations for implementing IC competencies in educational and workplace settings.
• Results support policy and curriculum development by health, education providers, and accreditation bodies.