Factors associated with interprofessional collaboration in Primary Health Care: a multilevel analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Interprofessional collaboration is crucial for addressing complex population health needs.
• Primary Health Care (PHC) settings require effective teamwork.
• Assessing collaboration and teamwork climate is vital for improving healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate interprofessional collaboration and teamwork climate in PHC.
• To determine the relationship between interprofessional collaboration and teamwork climate.
• To identify factors influencing collaboration within Family Health Strategy (FHS) teams.

Main Methods:

• Online survey utilizing the AITCS-II for interprofessional collaboration and the ECTE for teamwork climate.
• Data collected from 544 participants across 97 FHS teams in a Brazilian municipality.
• Multilevel analysis employed to examine the relationship between variables.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between interprofessional collaboration and three of the four teamwork climate factors.
• Improved teamwork climate was associated with enhanced interprofessional collaboration.
• Teamwork climate emerged as a key factor influencing collaboration, surpassing individual characteristics.

Conclusions:

• A positive teamwork climate is a strong predictor of effective interprofessional collaboration in PHC.
• Strategies to foster a better work environment can improve collaborative practice.
• Findings underscore the importance of team dynamics in optimizing FHS performance.