Interdependence is one of many factors that influences collaborative health care practice

Sebok-Syer et al describe that while clinical care is delivered collaboratively in a team, assessment of performance in that team is individual. This creates a conceptual paradox as we tend to think of competencies as residing in individuals yet the performance of a student or trainee is influenced by the team in which they work and by the clinical supervision they receive. This relationship has been termed interdependence and is defined as ‘patterns of interaction between individuals, working collaboratively, that can afford or constrain one's performance and potentially shape the practice of a broader healthcare team’.