Experiences of interprofessional collaboration in a special school programme for adolescents who struggle with school life: an explorative study

ABSTRACT

A growing proportion of adolescents struggle with school life and could benefit from special school programmes. School could be an arena for supporting such adolescents and, to meet these challenges, interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has been recommended for better health. The aim of the present study was to explore the experience of IPC in a special school programme offered to adolescents who struggle with school life – from the perspective of the professionals involved. Focus group interviews were carried out with four groups and fourteen participants, and the focus groups included two to five participants each. The focus group interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The analyses from this study resulted in a main theme: IPC in the special school programme is unpredictable. Five categories emerged from the data, including: variations in initiative, significance of individual characteristics, informal and formal contact, lack of criteria and goals, and different obligations. The participants described IPC as differing from case to case, with a lack of criteria and goals for adolescents in the special school programme. They experienced the random nature of whoever took the initiative to collaborate, and that confidentiality and the different documentation requirements could affect IPC.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent
• interprofessional collaboration
• qualitative content analysis
• secondary school
• school absence
• school programme

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all the participants in this study who generously shared their experience with them.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.