Establishing a transdisciplinary competency framework for interdisciplinary case management practice in long-term...

The World Health Organization has identified the long-term care system as a critical area for enhancing the health and quality of life of older adults. Within this system, case management is a prevalent service delivery model implemented by interdisciplinary teams comprising professionals from various sectors. However, the absence of a comprehensive transdisciplinary competency framework applicable across different disciplines obstructs the development of relevant training programs and hinders workforce capacity building and professionalization. This study was conducted in the context of Hong Kong's long-term care system and aimed to establish a transdisciplinary competency framework through expert consensus to advance case management practices.

This study employed an online five-stage participatory Delphi approach, with two rounds of questionnaire surveys and three roundtable discussions. The expert panel featured 40 health and social care professionals in the long-term care field. Their task was to develop a list of essential competencies for the long-term care workforce in case management. To determine the list of competencies, metrics such as the percentage of agreement, mean rating scores for each statement, and interquartile range were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale that measured clarity, relevance, and importance.

The panel reached consensus on a comprehensive transdisciplinary framework that includes 49 competencies organized into six key domains: overarching values; knowledge of long-term care and case management practices; assessment skills; analytical and intervention skills; communication skills and teamwork; and advocacy. Experts highlighted that this framework can significantly improve the capacity-building efforts of interdisciplinary teams involved in long-term care case management. The competencies are further organized into three progressive levels-basic, intermediate, and advanced-to support the growth of practitioners' professional skills.

The proposed transdisciplinary competency framework provides a foundation for developing and implementing training curricula for frontline professionals in the long-term care sector. Governments can utilize this framework to create career progression pathways that attract more talent to the field and enhance the supervision and evaluation of practitioners' competencies. This approach will help ensure the quality of long-term care services.