Consultation, Supervision, and Interprofessional Practice
Core concepts to master
Consultation is a collaborative, often indirect service: the consultee (physician, team, school) retains responsibility while the consultant provides expertise. Know models of consultation (client-centered, consultee-centered, organizational) and the skills of framing questions, communicating findings, and negotiating recommendations. Interprofessional practice requires understanding team roles, shared decision-making, and clear communication across disciplines.
Supervision involves developing competence, ensuring patient welfare, and evaluating supervisees. Know the supervisory relationship, informed consent for supervision, documentation, and the boundaries of delegated responsibility. The supervisor retains ultimate clinical responsibility for supervisee work within legal and ethical limits.
Traps
Assuming consultation means taking over the case. Giving recommendations without considering the team's constraints. Failing to obtain consent for supervision or to disclose the supervisory relationship. Over-delegating tasks beyond a supervisee's competence. Poor communication of uncertainty.
Rule of thumb
In consultation, clarify the question, the decision-maker, and the constraints before recommending. In supervision, ensure the supervisee's scope matches the task and that the patient knows the arrangement.
Worked example: A rehabilitation team asks for "memory recommendations"; the consultant clarifies functional goals, observes the setting, and offers compensatory strategies the staff can implement - rather than prescribing a battery of clinic-only drills.