Teamwork and Interprofessional Collaboration Course for Patient Safety

What you will learn

• Explain why teamwork failures cause patient harm and identify the features of UAE healthcare teams that increase the risk.
• Identify the federal and emirate-level duties that require cooperation, information-sharing, supervision and respectful conduct towards colleagues, including Federal Decree-Law No. (4) of 2016, Cabinet Resolution No. (40) of 2019 and the DHA Code of Ethics.
• Describe how a Medical Liability Committee apportions responsibility between team members and apply this to your own accountability when receiving, delegating and accepting tasks.
• Delegate and accept tasks safely using five checks, with clear instructions and triggers for reporting back.
• Communicate unambiguously in a multilingual team by stating numbers, units and urgency, avoiding abbreviations and using interpreters appropriately.
• Use briefings, huddles, closed-loop communication and debriefs to build a shared picture of patients and risks.
• Hand over care and escalate concerns using ISBAR, including pending results with a named owner, and plan safe transfers between facilities.
• Raise and escalate safety concerns using PACE and the two-challenge rule, and respond constructively when challenged.
• Resolve clinical disagreements safely and respond appropriately to incivility, bullying, harassment and concerns about whether a colleague can practise safely.
• Describe incident reporting and complaint processes for teamwork failures and write a reflective teamwork plan that demonstrates insight and evidenced change.

Syllabus

10 sections, about 2 learning hours, 20-question final assessment

1. 1Teamwork, patient safety and the UAE framework3 lessons

   • Why teamwork is a patient-safety issue in UAE facilities
   • The legal and regulatory duties behind collaboration
   • Individual accountability in team-based care
2. 2Roles, scope, delegation and supervision3 lessons

   • Knowing your role and your colleagues’ roles
   • Delegating safely across professions
   • Supervising newcomers, trainees and visiting staff
3. 3Communicating across a multinational, multilingual team3 lessons

   • Language, terminology and numbers in a multilingual team
   • Culture, hierarchy and communication styles
   • Team routines that build a shared picture: briefings, huddles, call-outs and debriefs
4. 4Clinical handover and transitions of care3 lessons

   • What handover transfers, and how it fails
   • Structured handover with ISBAR
   • Transfers, referrals and discharge between teams and facilities
5. 5Hierarchy, speaking up and escalation3 lessons

   • Why professionals stay silent
   • Speaking up and escalating effectively
   • Leaders who make it safe to speak
6. 6Conflict, incivility and concerns about colleagues3 lessons

   • Clinical disagreement and conflict between professionals
   • Incivility, bullying and harassment
   • When a colleague’s practice, health or conduct worries you
7. 7When teamwork fails: incidents, investigations, insight and remediation3 lessons

   • Team factors in incident reporting and root cause analysis
   • How committees and licensing authorities look at team failures
   • Insight, remediation and a personal teamwork plan
8. 8Conclusion and key points1 lesson

   • Conclusion and key points
9. 9References and further reading1 lesson

   • References and further reading
10. 10Your reflective account1 lesson

    • Your reflective account

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 learning hours (self-directed CPD, including knowledge checks, reflection and assessment)

Audience

Licensed healthcare professionals in the UAE in all professions (physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and allied health professionals) licensed by MOHAP, DHA, DOH, SHA or DHCC/DHCR, in government and private settings, including team leaders and supervisors

Standards covered

Federal Decree-Law No. (4) of 2016 on Medical Liability (Arts 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 18–23, 37, 38) and Cabinet Resolution No. (40) of 2019 (Arts 2, 5, 10); Federal Law No. (5) of 2019 (Arts 17, 24, 28, 29); Federal Law No. (6) of 2023 (Arts 8, 13, 14) and Cabinet Resolution No. (176) of 2025; Ministerial Resolution No. (14) of 2021 (Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities Charter); DHA Standards for Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct ST-66 (2025); DHA Fitness to Practice Policy (2025); DHA Sentinel Events Standard ST-53; DHA Guidelines for Patient Consent GU-05; Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. (49) of 2024; DOH Incident Reporting and Management Standard V2 (2024); DOH Patient Consent Standard; Abu Dhabi Law No. (10) of 2018

Format

Self-paced, gated lessons with knowledge checks, UAE case studies and reflection

Assessment

20 scenario-based questions, 80% to pass (16 of 20)

Outcome

Certificate of completion and a written reflection for your professional development portfolio

Alignment

Supports reflection on the DHA Code of Ethics standards “Ensure Professional and Ethical Communication at All Times” and “Provide Appropriate Supervision and Delegate Duties Responsibly”, and its provisions on reporting unfit colleagues and protection from retaliation (s.10.1.8–10.1.9) and on harassment; the cooperation and follow-up duties in Federal Decree-Law No. (4) of 2016 and Cabinet Resolution No. (40) of 2019, which apply in every emirate; and the DOH and DHA incident and sentinel event standards

Price

AED 349

Who this course is for

Physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and allied health professionals, including team leaders and supervisors, in government and private settings.

Written for professionals licensed by any UAE authority: MOHAP, DHA, DOH, SHA or DHCR. Where the rules differ, the course explains the difference.