Evaluating collaborative practice within community-based integrated health and social care teams: a systematic review of outcome measurement instruments

ABSTRACT

Collaborative practice is a workforce priority for integrated health and social care systems internationally, requiring robust outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) to enable team development and good quality research. In this systematic review, we appraised self-administered OMIs that could be used to measure team-based collaborative practice within integrated health and social care teams in community settings. The most important measurement properties when selecting between OMIs are content and structural validity and internal consistency. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) systematic review method was modified to evaluate each OMI. For each measurement property, the methodological quality of individual studies and quality of each parameter were rated, and the level of evidence graded. A search strategy applied to 19 bibliographic databases identified 7 instruments that met eligibility criteria. A total of 6 development studies, 6 content validity studies, 8 studies for structural validity, and 10 for internal consistency were included. Only the shortened version of the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (ATICS-II) was rated as Sufficient for each measurement property with Very Low or Moderate quality evidence. Further validation of each OMI for use by community integrated teams is needed; studies evaluating relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness are a priority.

KEYWORDS:

• Systematic review
• interprofessional collaboration
• health and social care
• team-based practice

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Alan Gillies, Knowledge Manager, at NHS Education for Scotland for ongoing search strategy support during this research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter D. Glover

Peter D. Glover has a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Physiotherapy. He published the qualitative research from his MSc thesis on the motivation for clinicians to commence Masters degree study. He has completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching, conferring him Fellowship of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. For the past 10 years he has been a Practice Education Coordinator for Scotland’s National Health Service (NHS) Education and Training Body (NES). He is the Scottish Lead for a wide range of national projects supporting Allied Health Professions (AHP) practice education priorities. This role requires him regularly to work with a range of health, social care, independent, third and higher education sectors audiences. He has presented at over 10 international and national conferences.

Heather Gray

Dr Heather Gray is the Head of Physiotherapy and Paramedicine at Glasgow Caledonian University. She worked for 11 years across several Health Boards in NHS Scotland prior to moving into Higher Education in 1999. Heather spent four years working as a Researcher and Trial Manager at the University of Glasgow in Public Health and in Scotland’s Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit on Scottish Government, Chief Scientists Office and Stroke Association funded projects. Her research interests are in vocational rehabilitation; Physiotherapists’ management of psychosocial risk factors; and Physiotherapy education. She has over 22 peer-reviewed journal publications and regularly presents at UK and international scientific conferences.

Sivaramkumar Shanmugam

Dr Sivaramkumar Shanmugam is a Senior Lecturer, Department Digital Lead and Learning, Teaching Adviser in the Department of Physiotherapy and Paramedicine. He is also the Programme Leader of the Doctorate in Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) programme, first of its kind in Europe. He has over 20 years of experience in Higher Education. His research interests and scholarly activities are in behaviour change, physical activity/ sedentary behaviour and education. He is currently supervising 5 doctoral students of which 3 projects are exploring behaviour change interventions in various clinical populations nationally and internationally.

Angus K. McFadyen

Dr Angus K. McFadyen has been an active researcher for many years and reviews for several journals.  After over three decades in academia, he now works as an independent statistician and has experience in working with clinical/medical staff in developing and analysing research.  His areas of interest are broad, including interprofessional education, veterinary medicine, research ethics, multiple sclerosis, prosthetics & orthotics, physiotherapy, ophthalmology and nursing.