Attitudes of teachers towards the understanding, importance, and additional value of interprofessional collaboration - a qualitative study

The aim of the study was to determine both the understanding of interprofessional collaboration among teachers in the German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and their attitude towards the benefits and importance of interprofessional collaboration.

Nine universities and universities of applied sciences in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany where interprofessional teaching takes place were included in the study. As part of a qualitative survey in a mixed-methods design, interprofessional focus groups were conducted with teachers from various health professions. The data were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz. To ensure the reliability of the codings, the data were evaluated independently by two people, the results were compared, deviations were discussed in the project team and the coding guide was then revised.

Four focus groups have been conducted in Germany, two in Austria, and two in Switzerland. The data suggest that the understanding of interprofessional collaboration is described as complex and context-dependent. In some cases, interprofessional collaboration is equated with exchange. Despite challenges and different perceptions, the benefits of interprofessional collaboration are rated as high, especially in view of the increasing shortage of human resources and the increasing importance of primary medical units. The importance of interprofessional approaches is highlighted, especially in the case of complex illnesses. The data showed, that people with practical experience can identify the benefits more clearly.

The different understanding of interprofessional collaboration seems to be a challenge, as there does not seem to be a uniform definition of it. In addition, there are very different ideas about what successful IP collaboration looks like and what the added value of it is, which seems to be practice-related

To support the development of an interprofessional identity in education, it seems necessary to first work on a common understanding of interprofessional collaboration itself, its importance, and additional value among teachers.