Understanding attitude of health care professional teachers toward interprofessional health care collaboration and education in a Southeast Asian country

Abstract

Background

Faculty members play crucial roles as facilitators of learning for effective inter-professional education (IPE). However, faculty attitudes are reported to be barriers to successful implementation of IPE initiatives within health care education settings. This study aimed to investigate the following: 1) health care faculty members’ attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and IPE; 2) factors affecting faculty members’ perception toward IPC and IPE; and 3) health care professionals’ perceptions toward factors that hamper the quality of IPC, and whether IPE is a possible remedy for the situation.

Methods

A survey was administered to medicine, nursing, midwifery, and dentistry faculty members at 17 institutions in Central Java Province, Indonesia. Respondents were asked to rate their attitudes toward IPC and IPE using a previously validated “Attitude toward Interprofessional Health care Collaboration and Education” scale. To help interpretation of the survey results, 4 monoprofessional focus groups (FGs) were conducted and 3 key participants who could not be present at the FG meetings were interviewed. We conducted a statistical analysis on the quantitative data and performed a thematic content analysis of the qualitative data using ATLAS Ti (version 7).

Results

The total response rate was 74.1%. Nurses’ mean scores for attitudes toward IPC and IPE were higher than those of other health care professionals. The main problems of IPC identified from the FG were as follows: 1) differing perceptions of the needs of patients among professionals; 2) unequal participation in decision-making; 3) lack of face-to-face interaction; and 4) overlapping of roles and responsibilities. Faculty members agreed that IPE has the potential to remedy these challenges as long as opportunities are provided to inculcate equal power and contribution in meeting patients’ needs.

Conclusion

These findings indicate the necessity of convening faculty development programs regarding IPC and IPE. Additionally, innovative strategies must be developed for the implementation of IPC and IPE in a variety of academic settings.

Keywords:

• attitude of health care professionals
• interprofessional education
• interprofessional health care collaboration

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia, for funding the project; all teachers and health care professionals who participated in the study; and Dian Apriliana Rachmawati, Suryani Yulianti, Ika Rosdiana, and Endang Surani (ES), who are research associates in the Medical and Health Allied Education Unit of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, for their assistance in conducting the study. The project was funded by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia, under the scheme “Penelitian Produk Terapan”. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of this paper.

Author contributions

EL designed and performed the studies, analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. RES, DW, and AS contributed to the study’s conception and helped draft the manuscript. All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and revising the paper and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.