Content area
Full text
PURPOSE: This study investigated interprofessional practice (IPP) trends and attitudes between speech-language pathologists (SLP) and audiologists (AUD). METHODS: Clinical SLPs and AUDs completed an online survey, consisting of demographics, caseload trends, collaborative practice trends, and barriers to collaborative practice. RESULTS: A total of 237 participants (131 SLPs, 106 AUDs) completed an online survey. Survey results indicated that IPP is important or very important to both professions. A smaller proportion of SLPs reported collaborating with AUDs than AUDs reported collaborating with SLPs. The most frequently identified barrier to collaboration experienced by the two professions was "access." Based on their beliefs, however, the top barriers differed between the professions. Specifically, SLPs believed that "access" was the top barrier to collaboration with AUDs whereas AUDs believed that "attitudes and perceptions" was the top barrier to collaboration with SLPs. Findings from the revised Attitudes Towards Health Care Teams Scale indicated that SLPs had a significantly more positive attitude toward IPP than AUDs. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that although IPP is valued by SLPs and AUDs, barriers continue to limit the percentage of practitioners engaging in IPP. Although both professions experienced common barriers, their beliefs about barriers to collaboration differed. J Allied Health 2021; 50(2):104-110.
INTERPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (IPP) provides a model of collaboration in which ". . . multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care. "(1) IPP emphasizes coordination of care among health care professionals to optimize patient health outcomes such that all professionals on the IPP team are valued and contribute equally to the well-being of patients.(2,3) This contrasts with the traditional healthcare model in which members of a multidisciplinary healthcare team may share their findings with team members but do not collaborate or view each other as equal team members.®
IPP has grown in popularity in recent years due to the limitations in the existing healthcare model, such as medical errors and the frequent overuse, misuse, and underuse of services.® Benefits of working on an interprofessional collaborative team include increased opportunities to work collaboratively on patient outcome goals, improved communication among healthcare providers, shared responsibility and accountability, and enhanced coordination of care with decreased likelihood of duplication of services.(2,5) These benefits have...