Patterns of Psychologists' Interprofessional Collaboration Across Clinical Practice Settings

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Psychology
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Healthcare delivery is increasingly team-based.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration is crucial for effective patient care.
• Understanding psychologists' roles in team-based care is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine psychologists' participation in team-based care.
• To identify professional collaborators of psychologists.
• To explore variations in collaboration across practice settings.

Main Methods:

• Survey data from 1607 psychologists in the 2015 American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies.
• Analysis of interprofessional collaboration frequency and organizational support.
• Examination of factors influencing collaboration.

Main Results:

• Practice settings varied significantly in support for and psychologists' involvement in collaboration.
• Psychologists in individual private practice reported the least collaboration.
• Collaboration with non-behavioral health professionals was higher in hospitals and VA medical centers.
• Increased contact with other professions generally boosted psychologists' confidence, except with psychiatrists.

Conclusions:

• Psychologists' collaborative practices differ by setting.
• Organizational factors influence interprofessional collaboration.
• A collaborative practice model is proposed for integrated care, especially for patients on psychotropic medication.