Measuring Interprofessional Collaboration Between 2 Palliative Care Teams

Community-based, nurse specialist–led palliative care teams have been hypothesized to reduce patient acute care use through increased provider collaboration. However, levels of collaboration within these teams have never been compared with those in usual care models. Two palliative care teams in Ontario, Canada, were surveyed: a usual care team and a specialist team, which exhibit differences in patient acute care use. Health professionals were surveyed using 2 validated tools: the Modified Index of Interdisciplinary Collaboration (MIIC) and the Interprofessional Collaboration Scale to determine differences in reported levels of collaboration. Twenty-nine surveys were completed for a 63% response rate. A trend was observed in the MIIC in the specialist team having higher levels of interprofessional collaboration; however, only 2 of 4 subscales reached significance: interdependence and flexibility (P = .015) and reflection on process (P = .029). On the Interprofessional Collaboration Scale, in which each professional type is individually assessed, trends similar to the MIIC were found, but no overall significant differences between teams. Our comparison found trends toward greater interprofessional collaboration in the specialist team, yet only a few subscales were statistically significant. Further research is required to explore other factors, in conjunction with interprofessional collaboration, that influence patient outcomes.