Interactional Dynamics of Interprofessional Collaboration

The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactional dynamics that occur when health-care professionals collaborate on a medical case. Social exchange theory and the literature on collaboration and teamwork provided the theoretical basis from which interaction was investigated. The participants in the study were 13 health-care professionals and one patient. They participated in two workshops during which they collaborated on an interprofessional care plan. Their interactions were audio-and videotaped. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), a widely used method developed for analyzing the dynamics of physician-patient interactions. The data were analyzed using chi-square standardized residuals. The study concluded that while the RIAS format was useful, the original RIAS categories needed to be extensively supplemented with items that specifically addressed the interprofessional interaction. An examination of the categories with variability indicated that the majority of the interactions were task-related and that the response patterns varied depending on whether the categories were grouped according to participant, workshop group, or profession. This study demonstrated that it is possible to assess the degree of interprofessionalism in interactions using a scenario that is more ecologically valid than that offered by attitude questionnaires completed individually. The study offers a methodology by which it might be possible to chart the growth of interprofessionalism in communication among medical and other professionals in the course of their work.