Interprofessional education and collaborative practice in diagnostic radiography: Insights from an Australian...

Many health professions train in silos, limiting opportunities for interprofessional education (IPE), despite teamwork being essential in their clinical practice. IPE fosters collaboration across professions to improve care quality and outcomes, though radiography lags behind in IPE initiatives. This study aimed to explore the perceived attitudes, knowledge, skills, and confidence of radiographers towards interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP).

Semi-structured interviews with radiographers across multiple Queensland hospitals, ranging from metropolitan to very remote areas, were conducted using purposive sampling. Data were collected via MS Teams platform (Microsoft, United States), transcribed, then analysed by two authors using reflexive thematic analysis, refining broad initial codes into well-defined themes.

Nineteen radiographers (69 % female) with 5-40 years' experience participated. Roles included clinical, management, teaching or a combination. Most (95 %) worked regionally or rurally. Five themes emerged: collaborative leadership facilitates patient-centred care, rapport building is non-negotiable, radiography-tailored framework and professional development, enablers of interprofessional collaboration (IPC), and barriers to IPC.

Radiographers stressed the need for IPC and context-specific frameworks. Existing education models don't fit radiography's unique roles, highlighting a gap. Despite their often-siloed practice, radiographers expressed strong interest in IPC. Closing this gap is key to improving patient outcomes, professional satisfaction, and patient-centred care.

Develop radiography-specific IPC frameworks integrated into clinical workflows. Promote collaborative leadership, tailored education, and targeted training to reduce silos, improve communication, and clarify roles. Foster inclusive, supportive environments to boost radiographers' confidence and engagement, enhancing teamwork, patient outcomes, job satisfaction, and delivering effective, patient-centred healthcare.