Allied health professionals’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in primary health care: an integrative review

ABSTRACT

This integrative review synthesizes research studies in order to explore the perceptions of allied health professionals regarding interprofessional collaboration in primary health care. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using three electronic databases and a manual search of the Journal of Interprofessional Care. The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of included papers. Study findings were extracted, critically examined and grouped into themes. Twelve studies conducted in six different countries met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: (1) shared philosophy; (2) communication and clinical interaction; (3) physical environment; (4) power and hierarchy; and (5) financial considerations. This review has identified diverse key elements related to interprofessional collaboration in primary health care, as perceived by allied health professionals. Opportunity for frequent, informal communication appeared essential for interprofessional collaboration to occur. Allied health professionals working in close proximity to health practitioners from other professions had more regular interprofessional interactions than those who were geographically separated. Co-location of multiple primary health care services within the same physical space may offer increased opportunities for interprofessional collaboration. Future research should avoid reporting on allied health professionals in primary health care collectively, and isolate data to the individual professions. Direct observational methods are warranted to investigate whether allied health professionals’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration align with their actual clinical interactions in primary health care settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional collaboration
• primary health care
• allied health professionals
• integrative review

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (RTPS). The research team would like to acknowledge and thank Sharon Bryan (Blended Learning Librarian, James Cook University, Townsville) for her assistance with the search strategy.

Declaration of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Authors’ contributions

JS led the study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, and drafted the manuscript. AJ significantly contributed to study design, data collection, and data analysis and interpretation. CJ and KF participated in study design. All authors contributed to manuscript preparation and approved the final manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

No funding or material support of any kind was received for the work described in this article.

Notes on contributors

Jack Seaton

Jack Seaton, BPhysio (Hons), is a PhD candidate within the College of Healthcare Sciences and a Lecturer in Public Health within the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. Jack is also a registered Physiotherapist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Anne Jones

Anne Jones, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Academic Head of Physiotherapy at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.

Catherine Johnston

Catherine Johnston, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Program Convenor of Physiotherapy at University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.

Karen Francis

Karen Francis, PhD, is a Professor in Nursing at the University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia.