Contextualizing interprofessional competencies in the Balkans: Healthcare workers’ understanding of the concepts based on an existing framework and a self-report instrument

This paper emphasizes adapting frameworks for interprofessional collaboration (IPC) from high-income settings to culturally distinct, resource-constrained regions. We adapted and validated the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competency framework within a Balkan healthcare context facing systemic, educational, and financial challenges. Frameworks such as IPEC may not fully capture contextual nuances in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we examined how the IPEC framework could be culturally adapted for healthcare workers in the Balkans. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed, involving two interprofessional workshops and a follow-up survey. Healthcare workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo participated in reflective discussions and prioritized competencies from the original 38-item IPEC instrument. The adapted instrument (IPEC-21B) was evaluated for psychometric reliability and contextual relevance and proved to be both valid and practical due to its shorter format. The instrument measured attitudes toward IPC and encouraged critical dialogue about hierarchy, communication, and shared roles, positioning it as both an assessment tool and a catalyst for professional learning. The results demonstrate how an adapted survey on IPC foster systemic thinking and professional development provides a tool for increased awareness. By retaining all core IPEC domains, IPEC-21B provides a tool for increasing awareness and developing interprofessional competencies in a way that aligns with local cultural and educational needs in settings with limited traditions of interprofessional practice. Tailoring an IPC instrument to local contexts enhances healthcare workers’ understanding of collaboration and may improve patient outcomes and care equity. The participatory adaptation process emphasizes embedding dialogue and shared understanding into interprofessional education and assessment in LMICs.