crossprofessional

Crossprofessional refers to approaches that deliberately bring together practitioners and experts from diverse professional disciplines to address problems, design solutions, or deliver services that cross the traditional boundaries of individual domains. It emphasizes collaboration, shared goals, and the integration of knowledge from multiple fields to improve outcomes.

Key features include joint problem framing, common governance structures, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, effective communication, mutual respect for professional cultures, and processes for shared decision making and accountability.

Crossprofessional practice overlaps with but remains distinct from interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinary teamwork. Interdisciplinarity often occurs within academic contexts, while crossprofessional practice emphasizes active collaboration across professional boundaries in applied settings, with an emphasis on integrated outcomes rather than isolated expertise.

Applications span health care, social services, education, housing, and urban planning, among others. Potential benefits include more seamless service delivery, improved client-centered outcomes, innovation through diverse perspectives, and better alignment of policies with real-world needs. Barriers can include regulatory differences, professional hierarchies, data-sharing concerns, and resource constraints.

Approaches include co-design, joint training and continuing education, shared information systems, co-located teams, and regular joint case conferences. Policy and organizational culture also influence adoption, with professional bodies and accrediting agencies gradually endorsing crossprofessional competencies and collaboration standards.

Related terms include interprofessional collaboration, multidisciplinary teamwork, transdisciplinarity, and cross-disciplinary practice.