Observed Interprofessional Collaboration (OIPC) During Interdisciplinary Team Meetings: Development and Validation of a Tool in a Rehabilitation Setting

Abstract

Background: Despite all the efforts made in the past few years, interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in clinical settings is not always optimal. In addition, there are only a few instruments that healthcare managers and practitioners can use to evaluate the quality of IPC practice. Therefore, we developed an observationbased tool to evaluate IPC interactional factors occurring during interdisciplinary team meetings, and we examined the initial validation of the tool in a rehabilitation setting.Methods and Findings: The items were developed and pre-tested iteratively by construct experts (N = 7) and non-experts (N = 4). Interrater reliability was determined between two observers, following the analysis of 30 video recordings of meetings in two rehabilitation centres involving a total of 152 participants. An observation grid (OIPC) consisting of 20 items that can be answered on a threepoint scale and demonstrating acceptable interrater reliability was developed.Conclusions: The OIPC is a tool aimed at evaluating IPC interactional factors during interdisciplinary meetings based on team performance rather than individual behaviours. It can be useful for healthcare managers and practitioners who want to evaluate the quality of IPC practices.