Developing a Japanese version of the ‘scale of attitudes toward pharmacist–physician collaboration’

ABSTRACT

There are many reports that pharmacotherapy has been optimized to ensure collaboration between physicians and pharmacists. Various scales assess the relationship between physicians and pharmacists as well as medical students and pharmacy students. The Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician–Pharmacist Collaboration (SATP²C) can be applied not only to the physician–pharmacist relationship but also to the medical–pharmacy student relationship. As there is no Japanese version of the SATP²C, we developed one and examined its psychometric properties. SATP²C scores were measured before and after interprofessional education (IPE) to verify responsiveness. The scale showed confirmed reliability: Cronbach’s alphas were 0.79 for Responsibility and Accountability, 0.68 for Shared Authority, and 0.67 for Interdisciplinary Education. Pre and post-IPE, each mean subscale score increased: Responsibility and Accountability, 0.7 ± 0.4; Shared Authority, 0.2 ± 0.3; and Interdisciplinary Education, 0.3 ± 0.2. Although the total score increased (1.2 ± 0.7), this was non-significant. The Japanese version of the SATP²C can be considered, at least initially, to have reached an acceptable level of reliability and validity. The new measure is currently the only scale in Japan that can evaluate attitudes toward physician–pharmacist collaboration regarding IPE. Further studies are needed to confirm responsiveness pre- and post-IPE.

Keywords:

• interprofessional education
• physician–pharmacist collaboration
• psychometric analysis
• Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician–Pharmacist Collaboration

Acknowledgments

We thank the pharmacy and medical students for their participation. We also thank Dr. Tamura and Dr. Mohammadreza Hojat.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kanayuki Kitahara

Kanayuki Kitahara is an Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy at Showa University, where he is responsible for the education of pharmacy students and pharmacy residents. He has 20 years of experience as a clinical pharmacist at Showa University Hospital and is Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist - JSPHCS.