Capturing Collaboration: Validation of the Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice Survey in Occupational Therapy...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy Education
• Healthcare Professional Collaboration
• Psychometric Validation

Background:

• Intraprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and assistants is crucial for effective, client-centered care.
• The Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice Survey (ICPS) was developed to measure this collaboration but lacked psychometric validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the ICPS among occupational therapy students in the United States.
• To establish the reliability and validity of the ICPS for assessing intraprofessional collaboration competencies.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 389 occupational therapy students from accredited programs nationwide.
• Participants completed the ICPS (occupational therapy version); a subset also completed an adapted Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS).

Main Results:

• Factor analyses supported the ICPS's four-domain structure for both perceived importance and ability.
• Excellent internal consistency and evidence of convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity were found, with strong correlations to the ICCAS.
• Measurement invariance was confirmed across Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) and Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) programs.

Conclusions:

• The ICPS is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing intraprofessional collaboration competencies in occupational therapy students.
• Its alignment with current accreditation standards makes it valuable for program evaluation and professional development.
• The validated ICPS can enhance training and assessment of essential collaborative skills in future occupational therapists.