Interprofessional education and collaboration in the Philippines: Current landscape, gaps, and propositions

Interprofessional education (IPE) is a forward-looking strategy in healthcare education that unites students and professionals from various disciplines to enhance interprofessional collaboration (IPC). IPE is designed to prepare future health and social care professionals to navigate and address the complexities of modern healthcare systems. In the Philippines, despite being a developing country with a fragmented healthcare system, there have been efforts over the last 15 to 20 years to introduce and institutionalize IPE and IPC in both higher education and healthcare settings. However, significant challenges persist, including the dominance of medical professionals, inadequate regulatory mechanisms, and a lack of strong partnerships between academic institutions and healthcare providers. The current landscape of IPE in the Philippines reveals that while progress has been made, IPE is not yet a standardized requirement across educational institutions. Its implementation often relies on the initiative of individual departments or colleges, and the outcomes-based education (OBE) framework prevalent in the country may not fully support the development of IPE competencies. Additionally, the existing referral system, dominated by medical doctors, hinders the effective translation of IPE competencies into practice. To address these issues, it is crucial to institutionalize IPE across health and medical curricula, adopt a systems-based education (SBE) approach that emphasizes collective action and health equity, and promote professional humility among healthcare professionals. Enhancing partnerships between academic institutions, government bodies, and healthcare providers is also essential, as is reforming the referral system to foster true collaborative practice. By addressing these critical gaps, the Philippines can advance toward a healthcare environment where IPE and IPC are central to education, training, practice, and policy, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for all Filipinos.