Collaborative practice is intended to combine the knowledge and skills of several health professionals to maximize the efficiency of both the clinicians and the health care system.  Collaborative practice brings together health care professionals with different and complimentary knowledge and skills to increase the scope of and access to patient services.

When it involves physicians and nurse practitioners, collaborative practice may provide greater opportunities to educate and counsel patients with goals of preventing disease, promoting wellness, and increasing adherence to treatment.  NPs can provide not only aspects of routine care but, through case finding, identify potential problems that require the specialized medical knowledge of the physician.  (The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, 1995, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1998).