Impact of interprofessional education on collaboration attitudes, skills, and behavior among primary care professionals
Publication year
2012Source
Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 32, 3, (2012), pp. 196-204ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
Geriatrics
IQ Healthcare
Journal title
Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions
Volume
vol. 32
Issue
iss. 3
Page start
p. 196
Page end
p. 204
Subject
NCEBP 11: Alzheimer Centre; NCEBP 6: Quality of nursing and allied health care ONCOL 4: Quality of CareAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Care for the frail elderly is often provided by several professionals. Collaboration between them is essential, but remains difficult to achieve. Interprofessional education (IPE) can improve this collaboration. We developed a 9-hour IPE program for primary care professionals from 7 disciplines caring for the frail elderly, and aimed to establish whether the program improved professionals' interprofessional attitudes and attitudes toward collaboration, collaboration skills, and collaborative behavior. We also evaluated learners' reactions to the program. METHODS: Before-after study, using the Interprofessional Attitudes Questionnaire (IAQ, score:1 to 7); Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS, score: 0 to 105); and Team Skills Scale (TSS, score:17 to 85). Additionally, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 selected participants. RESULTS: Participants' (N = 80) overall interprofessional attitudes improved (IAQ baseline: 5.49; follow-up: 5.67, p = 0.001); attitudes toward geriatric teams did not change (ATHCTS baseline: 69.9; follow-up: 69.1, p = 0.32). Participants' self-reported team skills improved (TSS baseline: 45.7; follow-up: 48.1, p = 0.001). In the interviews, many interviewees reported increased collaboration with professionals of other disciplines due to the program. Interviewees considered the program's interprofessional nature and attending the program with local professionals important contributing factors to the experienced improvements in collaboration. However, they also noted that not all parts of the program had met the needs of all participating disciplines, due to differences in professional background and knowledge. DISCUSSION: A brief IPE program can improve interprofessional attitudes, collaboration skills, and collaborative behavior. That such a program allows professionals to get acquainted with each other and each other's viewpoints appears to be as important as the educational content.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [245103]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [93207]
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