Validation of a New Tool to Measure Physiotherapists' Interprofessional Practices

Interprofessional collaboration is recommended in health systems everywhere, but research on its measurement is needed. This psychometric study assessed the construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the Intensity of Interprofessional Practices Questionnaire for Private-Sector Physiotherapists (IIPQ-PT). A random sample of 303 physiotherapists (PTs) completed the 12-item questionnaire, and a subsample of 103 completed it a second time 2 weeks later. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a one-factor solution for the instrument. IIPQ-PT scores showed respectively fair and moderate relationships with the percentage of low back pain clients for whom PTs reported interactions with other professionals (0.30; 95% CI 0.19-0.40; p<0.001) and perceived degree of interactions (0.58; 95% CI 0.50-0.65; p<0.001). The IIPQ-PT had high internal consistency (Cronbach's a= 0.86; 95% CI 0.83-0.88) and good test-retest reliability (ICC=0.69; 95% CI 0.57-0.78). The minimum detectable difference for a 95% CI was 2.52. Although further study of this instrument is warranted, our results are promising for its future use. The IIPQ-PT may prove useful to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aiming to improve interprofessional practices and to measure the effects of such practices on service users, providers, and the health system.