Practical Preconditions for the Development of the Interdisciplinary Collaboration Competence in Healthcare

Abstract

This article presents the results of the fourth stage of the longitudinal research performed at Kaunas University of Medicine (since 2010 – Lithuanian University of Health Sciences) and Vytautas Magnus University. The main goal of the research was to investigate educational possibilities and preconditions for the development of the education of professional intercultural communication for students in the education programs of medicine and social work. Previous stages of the study revealed the peculiarities of intercultural/interdisciplinary teamwork, and educational premises for professional education of the team members. The fourth stage of the study is focused on the analysis of the practical activity of the interdisciplinary (intercultural) team, striving to improve health specialists’ and social workers’ interdisciplinary collaboration competence.