Identifying core teamwork competencies for community-based health and social care professionals: an e-Delphi study

Due to the increasing burden of chronic diseases, the European Recovery Plan aims to enhance community-based healthcare services across Europe by 2026. Therefore, healthcare professionals will need to be prepared to work effectively in teams to ensure effective patient-centred care. However, few courses specifically designed for developing teamwork competencies are available. The aim of this study was to identify core teamwork competencies for in Community-Based Interprofessional Team specialists for person-centred care. Guided by the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations framework of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training for transversal skills and competencies, a 3-round e-Delphi study was conducted between March-May 2024. The experts were identified by the project partners. Following a literature review, focus groups, and interviews with service users and healthcare professionals from four different countries, an initial list of 63 competencies was identified. In Rounds 1 and 2, experts were asked to ‘agree’, ‘disagree’ or ‘amend’ the competencies. An agreement threshold of 70% was established for the inclusion of the competencies. In Round 3, experts rated the priority of each competency on a Likert scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). Nineteen experts from 6 European countries responded to all rounds. Consensus was achieved for 58 core competencies grouped into: ‘Interprofessional Teamwork’; ‘Interprofessional Communication, Roles and Professional Conduct’; ‘Shared Vision and Approach to Healthcare’; ‘Digital Health’; and ‘Planning and Coordination of Integrated Care Services’. The competencies identified through this study covered a wide range of areas, such as conflict management, collaborative leadership, respect and dignity, cultural sensitivity, digital skills, data management, artificial intelligence, and green skills. The competencies were developed in line with European skills classification and crediting systems to ensure transferability across Europe. These competencies will subsequently be used to develop an EU Curriculum to adequately prepare a new cohort of healthcare professionals specialised in Community-Based Interprofessional Teamwork.