Comparison of beliefs and culture regarding Interprofessional Collaborative Practice across Allied Health Professional Groups in a large public health service.
Katherine Delany1, Angela Wood1, Rachel Phillips1, Nigel Fellows2, Bernadette Thomson3, Hannah Mayr4, Susan Stoikov4 1Metro South, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia2Medical Education, Princess Alexandra Hospital , Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia 3Nursing Practice Development Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia4Centre for Functioning and Health Research, Metro South Health, Buranda, QLD, Australia
Abstract
Introduction: Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is essential when providing safe, efficient, high-quality patient care.
Aim: To understand and compare attitudes and culture regarding IPCP across Allied Health professions (AHP), within a metropolitan health service to target future interventions to drive culture change.
Methods: Medical, nursing and allied health professionals across the continuum of patient care, including health prevention and promotion, acute, outpatient, community services and executive leadership, completed baseline measures prior to interprofessional education sessions. Data collected included demographic information, Systems Thinking Scale (STS), Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Health Care Teams (ATIHCT) and Adapted Interprofessional Collaboration Scale (ICS). One-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare scales between AHP.
Results: Of 260 staff who participated there were 80 allied health staff. Preliminary findings indicated there was no difference between included allied health professions (Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapist, Speech Pathologist and Dieticians, Psychologists and Social Workers and others grouped due to smaller numbers including Cardiac Physiologists, Pharmacists, Allied Health Assistants, Environmental Health Officers and Radiographers) across all outcome measures. AHP demonstrated moderate to high levels STS (mean score=60±9/80). Most staff (>80%) were positive about interprofessional collaboration on the ATIHCT and ICS. On the ATIHCT measure, 21% of participants considered that interprofessional care planning is excessively time consuming.
Discussion: Allied Health professional groups have similar levels of IPCP within this health service. Potential opportunities to facilitate culture change, focus on the perceptions of efficiency of interprofessional care planning.
Biography
Kate Delany is an Occupational Therapist who has worked across the continuum of care both within Queensland Health and overseas. Kate is passionate and focused on clinical excellence, research and healthcare improvement to achieve positive clinical outcomes. Currently Kate works as a project manager in Metro South Health leading the Promoting Teamwork and Interprofessional Collaboration project.