Empowering Families Through Interprofessional Collaboration: A Qualitative Investigation of Caregiver, Clinician and Student Experiences in the Raising Families Project
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Miara Joy Mandap
CoPIs:
Brianna Somma, Sana Mir, Dervain Mattos, Jenal Rana, Karlea Zazopoulos
College:
The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major:
Occupational Therapy
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Zahava Friedman, Sabrina Kenny, John Lee, Kate Nealon, Jessica Latawiec
Abstract:
Background: Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) describes the team-based operations of a group of clinicians in service. At the same time, it is also important to consider the individuals, families or populations served as vital members of the care team. Few studies consider the roles of both caregivers/families and pre-clinical students in the context of interprofessional education and practice.
Purpose: This research study looks at an interprofessional, developmental caregiver-child support program called the Raising Families Project (RFP) which sought to develop a scalable, interprofessional model of family support to improve child development, parent self-efficacy and IPC among team members. This research study seeks to understand caregiver, clinician and student perceptions of IPC and the effectiveness of the RFP in addressing its mission. Furthermore, this study also seeks to make a unique contribution to research and practice, by theorizing a novel and inclusive family, child, clinician and student collaborative model in support of young children and their families. We hypothesize that while caregivers, students, and clinicians value this project, they also have feedback to further enhance the effectiveness of intercollaborative programs and improve models of caregiver support.
Methods: This study utilized a mixed methods design to understand perceptions of caregivers, students, and clinicians involved in the RFP. This study collected mixed-method program evaluation data across three cohorts from May 2023, to April 2024, in the form of focus groups, interviews, surveys and the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS), a 20-item Likert-style survey of interprofessional competency.
Results and Discussion: Preliminary results reveal increased motivation in interprofessional work as a support for future practice in this area, while a notable barrier was limited time allotted to learn about, from and with caregivers and other professionals. Implications for further research include building additional opportunities of collaborating with caregivers during the curriculum development process. Additionally, more carefully considering student, practitioner and caregiver time can allow for structured and unstructured learning to occur across various stakeholder groups.