About this resource
Joint reports can be clearer than several separate ones. This guide covers agreeing purpose and audience, consent, a shared structure, how each discipline contributes, plain language, recommendations and review before sending.
Purpose
To produce coherent, useful joint reports.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Allied health and multidisciplinary teams. Also relevant for occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists.
Client or participant group: Multidisciplinary teams.
Practice setting: Joint assessments and funding or review reports.
Suggested uses
- Joint assessments
- Funding reports
- School reports
- Transition reports
Instructions for practitioners
- Agree the purpose and audience first.
- Use one structure and voice.
- Make recommendations specific.
- Share with the client before sending where possible.
Accessibility considerations
Provide a plain-language summary for the client.
Scope and limitations
A practice guide. Each practitioner remains responsible for their professional content.
Research basis
Clear, plain-language information and checking understanding (teach-back) improve understanding, safety and quality of care. Interprofessional collaboration interventions may improve professional practice and outcomes, although the evidence is still limited.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2014). Health literacy: Taking action to improve safety and quality. ACSQHC. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/health-literacy-taking-action-improve-safety-and-quality
- Australian Government. Style Manual: Plain language and word choice. https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/writing-and-designing-content/clear-language-and-writing-style/plain-language-and-word-choice
- Reeves, S., Pelone, F., Harrison, R., Goldman, J., & Zwarenstein, M. (2017). Interprofessional collaboration to improve professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Article CD000072. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd000072.pub3
- Talevski, J., Wong Shee, A., Rasmussen, B., Kemp, G., & Beauchamp, A. (2020). Teach-back: A systematic review of implementation and impacts. PLOS ONE, 15(4), e0231350. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231350
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
